• 30Nov

  Who is social media for?

  SociaLNK No Comments

  Looking back over examples we have gathered over the past month blogging here at SociaLNK it is clear that Social Media isn’t just for the “cool” products. Social Media can be valuably employed by any company. A great example was Blendtec the small engineering company who has make it big via social media. In fact it can be the less fancy brands that experience more growth because they see a great change in popularity.

  Social Media is also not ideal for a company looking for a quick fix. It is a long term process that takes time. We are in the business of developing brand awareness and long term sustained engagement with a community. Conversations take time to develop we need to really learn about our customers likes and dislikes before moving forward. Companies that use social media will see a steady growth in traffic as their brand names become more discussed and shared. Of course there are the occaisional campaigns that go viral but this generally happens in the context of deep customer understanding.

  Effectively using social Media does require a company that is prepared to be open and honest. In a Social Media network customers will equally share good and bad information about your company. This is why social media should always be carried out in the context of a total strategy that includes monitoring and response management. However lets be clear – people are talking about your brand whether you are part of it or not! Effectively managing that conversations seems to be a much better strategy than ignoring them!

  Two thirds of the global internet population are spending time visiting social network sites. It now accounts for 10% of all internet time. Visiting social sites is now the 4^th most popular activity online. It is beating personal email. These are your customers. There is something for every company here.

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  Tags: social media

• 27Nov

  The Power of LinkedIn cannot be Ignored

  SociaLNK No Comments

  Over the past few years, LinkedIn has proven itself to be a legitimate business tool for many, helping small business owners to develop and nurture targeted opportunities. And if the numbers of “friend requests” in my inbox are any indication, the strength of the site isn’t decreasing. In fact, it’s growing.

  There are lots of opportunities for small business owners to leverage LinkedIn to build traffic, branding, authority and even their real life Rolodex.

  According to comScore, LinkedIn had 16 million worldwide monthly unique visitors and 331 million page views in June 2009, up from 7.7 million and 114 million a year ago, respectively.

  The company was valued at around $1 billion in its last (2008) round of financing, and says they’ve been profitable for 2+ years.

  There are some ways that I want to share with you that will help you utilize LinkedIn to its fullest:

  • Be sure to list your company name in the list of companies on LinkedIn. While selling on LinkedIn is frowned upon, there is nothing wrong with listing your company name to gain some exposure for your business. It’s often an overlooked resource that free and well worth the time investment.

  • LinkedIn is a great resource for your job search. Use your connections as well as their connections to establish relationships that can lead to interviews. Personally, I have been contacted several times through LinkedIn to interview with local companies. It can work for you, too.

  • Be passionate about what you do. People who are going to bother to read your profile want to know what makes you tick. If you merely put down that you’re manager at a small to mid-size company, that’s all they have in their minds about you. Add that you’re passionate about Italian wines and that you enjoy travelling. Make sure people know about YOU, not just your job history.

  • Ask and answer questions. Using the Answers feature brings your name and profile around to people you’re not exposed to directly. This means more opportunities for someone to recognize your authority in some field, and to reach out and contact you for something further. It means sharing the fruits of your networking with others, and potentially connecting 3rd parties to each other for something bigger. This comes in handy when it becomes obvious that you’re also a good connector.

  The trick to using Social Media is to actually put time into it, like any other social media resource. You must put into it before you will get something out of it.

  Do you have any other tips to add? Would you like to share any experience while using LinkedIn that changed your opinion on it?

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  Tags: business tool, interviews, job search, LinkedIn

• 25Nov

  Social Media and the Gen X Generation

  SociaLNK No Comments

  Sometimes the numbers surprise you…A new Forrester survey of 2,000 information workers has revealed that despite the hype, it’s not Gen Y that’s getting business to adopt collaborative technology. Gen X, those who are 30-43, are the ones leading the charge for social computing.

  While Gen Y grew up with technology and social media, they aren’t the ones using it in corporate world. Having the technology savvy to participate in social media sure comes in handy, but it’s obviously not everything. The point is this: Companies are realizing that having the knowledge behind using social media is just as important as the social media technology itself.

  Many clients come to us not fully understanding the “in’s” and “out’s” of social media. They are not sure where to begin but know that they need to get started. The good news is that just because you are not familiar with the technology, it does not mean that you are not ready for social media.

  Getting started in social media is not as difficult as you might think.

  If you’re a Gen Y, you have the technology understanding but need some help with your strategy.

  If you’re a Gen X, you have the marketing strategy in place but need help with learning the applications.

  Either way, it can be done. Socialnk can help you with any question you may have from getting started in social media as well as trying something new. We’re here to help.

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  Tags: Gen X, Gen Y, technology

• 24Nov

  How Can Social Media Work for Politics?

  SociaLNK No Comments

  Politicians at every level are now engaging in social media. After all, it produced great results for President Obama! Since then, the statistics of those who are using social media in the political arena is rising. Local social media political activity perhaps may even be more active than at national levels – according to TweetCongress, roughly 180 members of Congress (34%) have active Twitter accounts with Republicans out ranking Democrats by a ratio of two to one (2:1).

  While the numbers are encouraging, the truth is that most politicians (in both parties) feel that for 2009 merely having a presence (even at the most minimal level) is enough for now.

  Here are some tips that politicians could do to build their online presence in Social Media:

  1. Simply setting up a profile page in several social networks does not work. Participating on a regular basis is the key to success. Especially as the elections draw near, keeping your profiles update with the latest information is crucial.

  2. When participating in your communities, lead the group. We elect individuals on their ability to be a great leader and make educated decisions. Be sure that your comments and posts reflect those qualities.

  3. Widgets and custom applications are not just for musicians and big brands. They have a very practical use within the context of politics. Widgets would seem like a natural tool for political outreach, but so far the presidential campaigns aren’t using them at all, with a couple of exceptions. Some great uses for widgets are to:

  a. Post news headlines

  b. View campaign photos

  c. Upcoming campaign events

  d. To raise money or to donate

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  Tags: politics, social media in politics

• 23Nov

  Social Media: Who benefits from it?

  SociaLNK No Comments

  

  A report from Forrester Research, “The Broad Reach of Social Technologies,” takes a look at the growth of social over the last three years. And guess what? It’s growing!

  The demographic data follows the trend we see overall—younger people are more heavily involved, but over-35s and over-55s are becoming more and more active in social networking. While 10% or less of online adults aged 18-34 are “socially inactive,” the older age ranges are showing high growth. Among adults 35-54, participation grew 60% over last year:

  Now more than half of adults ages 35 to 44 are in social networks. Adults ages 45 to 54 grew their Joiner behavior nearly as much, but still lag behind the 35- to 44-year-olds; 38% of those ages 45 to 54 use social network sites regularly. These consumers also increased their Creator activities to the point where one in five produce social content. With this age group including nearly 70% Spectators, marketers can now safely create social media marketing for people ages 35 and older.

  And in the 55+ category, 70% of online adults use social tools monthly, while 26% use social networks.

  Now that we know the statistics, what does all this mean? Most of us believe that Social Media benefits the business owners. However, I beg to differ on that assumption. Social Media benefits both the business and the customer.

  Social Media benefits for businesses are:

  1. More online conversations about your brand – A successful Social Media Marketing campaign leads to a lot more talk about your brand online. When your message works with your users, they will spread your message more effectively than tradition methods.

  2. Quick turnaround – Hitting a front page of major social video, news and bookmark sites will send you huge amounts traffic and almost instantly. This doesn’t mean the traffic will equate to conversions, but it should generate momentum in the right direction.

  3. Low costs – The cost of using social media is very inexpensive. The sites are free, the only thing to consider is spending the time to use and update them on a regular basis.

  4. Better Customer Service – We all know that great customer service leads to loyal customers.

  Social Media benefits for the customers are:

  1. The power of recommendation – Would you rather buy from a faceless company or from a company that people recommend? We know that influencers play an important role the buying process and you can reach these people with SMM.

  2. Being educated on the company – Knowing that companies are behaving ethically is an important aspect of business these days. Having that information available helps customers make decisions on which company they want to do business with.

  3. Better Customer Service – Experiencing good customer service can be difficult to find sometimes. By getting involved in social media, it can provide customers with the opportunity to voice their opinions and be heard on the products or services they buy.

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  Tags: Business owners, Customers, Social media benefits

• 23Nov

  Starbucks and their Social Media Strategy

  SociaLNK No Comments

  Starbucks is embracing social media for the Holidays. They know where their customers are and know how to reach out to them. What I love most about Starbucks is that they have a plan. It’s the week before Thanksgiving and they have announced how they are going to reach their customers for the Holidays. Instead of investing all their money into advertisements, they are using social media in a variety of ways to engage their customers in the Holiday season this year.

  How do I know they’ll be successful? Because they developed a strategy. Instead of just doing a bunch of things and seeing what works, they sat down and created a plan. They looked at the data, analyzed it, and then made decisions based on their findings. In addition to doing some promotions through social media, they were able to incorporate their mission values into their plan as well. The whole plan just makes sense. They kept their brand image in their social media strategy for the Holidays. It’s absolutely brilliant!

  What can we learn from Starbucks? That creating a strategy in social media works. There are many channels to be looked at when engaging in social media for your brand. Some tools will work, others will not. Yet some others need to be explored and then assessed. No matter which avenue you choose, the time invested in creating a plan is well worth your efforts. So whether your social media strategy is simple or intricate, the most important thing is that you have one. You can always change or add things as you become more and more aware of where you customers are and how they react.

  No matter where you are in your social media strategy efforts, keep measuring, moving forward and adding new things. You’ll be glad you did.

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  Tags: great strategy, Holidays, social media for the holidays, starbucks

• 20Nov

  Blogging Etiquette 101

  SociaLNK No Comments

  In our world of social media, we know that blogging is an important tool that is used to promote conversations. Being able to post your comments on someone’s blog is encouraged. I have noticed however, that one blog I was commenting on that someone had made an “off-color” response to someone else’s post. Of course I was shocked by the remark, but it also made me wonder whether the person’s remark had been moderated before it was released. While the remark was not directly offense to anyone, it was nonetheless inappropriate to others. It is a shame that this kind of irresponsible behavior exists but we still have to deal with it accordingly.

  How can you avoid making the same mistake? Here are 3 important tips that can be used as guidelines when responding to blog posts:

  1. Be sensitive to ethic groups. No matter what the topic may be, it is never appropriate to bash or insult someone else’s heritage.
  2. Do not use vulgar language under any circumstances. There is no reason for this and there are plenty of other ways to express your opinion or feelings without using offensive words.
  3. Be polite. Blogs are online conversations. Everyone is entitled to state their opinion. Read blog posts carefully before posting your response. Following these important tips can help improve your blogging etiquette as well as earn you respect from your colleagues and piers. This is especially true if you are a business blogging on other blogs. Think of yourself at a cocktail party. When you arrive you greet your host politely and then slowly begin to mingle with those at the party. Listening and sharing are equally important. Now bring that same strategy into your blogging etiquette and watch your business grow!

     Need some tips on how to blog? Socialnk can help. Please contact us for more information.
     

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  Tags: blogging etiquette, blogging guidelines, promote conversations

• 20Nov

  Social Media in 2010

  SociaLNK No Comments

  In 2009, social media became all the rage for businesses. According to Nielsen Online, Twitter alone grew 1,382% year-over-year in February, registering a total of just more than 7 million unique visitors in the US for the month. Meanwhile, Facebook continued to outpace MySpace. What do we think social media will be like in 2010?

  Here are my predictions for 2010:

  1. Social media will expand exponentially through the use of mobile technology. Mobile phones are becoming more and more popular. Mobile phones with internet access are becoming the standard phone to have. Look around you. More and more businesses are using mobile phones to update their Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts on a daily basis. Our technology has made it simple!

  2. Companies will begin to look at creating policies for social media. Along with the rise of using social media to enhance a company’s web presence, there will have to be policies put into place that tell employees what is acceptable and what is not. From how to conduct yourself as an employee to what’s considered competition, it’s likely that you’ll see something formalized about how the company views social media and your participation in it.

  3. Social media will become a standard part of most businesses marketing strategy. There is enough evidence out there that tells us that social media is here to stay. Companies will have to decide how they will handle using social media and consider developing a strategy as well. After all, social media is part of marketing. The branding image you present to your customers must be consistent and clear.

  I am excited to see how these predictions will positively affect our businesses. While these are my predictions, I am anxious to here yours as well. What do you see happening in social media in 2010?

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  Tags: mobile phones, social media 2010, social media predictions

• 19Nov

  Using Social Media for the Holidays

  SociaLNK No Comments

  It seems like every year the number of holiday shoppers that visit the internet for deals are increasing. With that that in mind, what are you doing to promote your business using social media this year?

  Here are some tips you can use to promote your business to improve those holiday sales:

  1. Use your newsletter – Encourage your readers to share holiday photos and post several on your website. Offer a discount in exchange for customers sharing a review of a new product that is being introduced for the season. Making your newsletter interactive has proved to be very powerful and promotes your audience to participate. Getting them more involved will persuade them to share your newsletter with others!
  

  2. Tweet your discounts and savings – Your twitter followers would love to hear about your discounts. Send them out some information with a specific discount code that they can use on your website. Keep up with any direct messages and replies that may generate from this technique. You want to be there to answer their questions if necessary.

  3. Have a savings event and announce it to your Facebook Fans – Having a huge holiday sale? Use Facebook as your resource to start your guest list. Create an event and have them RSVP.

  This works for both online and offline retailers, but should you have a physical store, using your Facebook Fan Page to create a holiday coupon for an extra 10% off already discounted merchandise would be an instant way to gain more fans and please holiday shoppers on the hunt for a bargain.

  Good luck with these tips and perhaps they will inspire other methods you could use with social media to make this holiday season the best one you’ve had yet!

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  Tags: internet deals, social media, Social media for holidays

• 19Nov

  What’s your Competition Doing Today?

  SociaLNK No Comments

  Spending some time every day checking out what your competitors are doing makes a lot of sense. This is especially true with the explosion of social media. You need to know what they are doing to get a better understanding of what is happening and changing in the marketplace. Use your social media tools to find out what you competition is doing.

  Put on your private detective hat and investigate where they have a presence. Are they using Twitter? Do they have a Facebook Fan Page? Gather some information from these resources to find out how their business is doing. By looking at their brand image you might be able to come up with some new ideas of your own. Be creative and have fun.

  An important thing to do is to visit their website. Do they have a blog in place? Are there many comments being generated from the content? What’s being said? Look and see if they have a newsletter. Newsletters are a great way to interact with your customers and produce information they want to read about. If you don’t already have one, consider starting one. There are many resources out there to create custom newsletters that look fantastic! On a company’s web site you usually find some general information about the company. It is commonly found through an “about” or “info” link off the home page. Many companies have information about key executives on their web site. There also will be information about their products, services and pricing. Almost all company web sites include information about where they are located and how to contact them.

  Finding out what your competition is doing is much easier than it’s ever been. It’s up to businesses to utilize those resources that are available through social media. The information you may discover can improve your own business and help you think of new ways to reach your customers.
  

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  Tags: competition, newsletters, resources, social media, sociaLNK

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