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When To Put Your Mobile Device Away – Digital Respect

April 5, 2012 By Kelsey Jones Leave a Comment

In a world consumed by online interactions, niche (sometimes referred to as “weird”) communities, personal/business profiles or the latest apps (video, music, photography, or daily deals); it’s no wonder people are increasingly irritated by what the digital device is doing to ACTUAL social interaction and relationships.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and observed people texting under the table? Checking Twitter or Facebook on their phones or iPads? Have YOU ever been that person?

This even happens in an office setting. Have you ever been in a meeting where you or someone else is speaking and you realize most heads are looking down at their phones or iPads and most likely not paying attention? (Although, it’s fair to say that sometimes people do take notes or are commenting about certain speakers/news …but I’m going to go out on a not-so-far limb and say this isn’t the norm).

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when we see these situations going on: That’s just rude.

It’s time (long past time, actually) that we all take a step back, set down our digital devices, and remember that along with the digital freedom comes human respect. Whether you’re spending time with family and friends or in the office (even if it’s a boring meeting), we all need to keep in mind that consistently losing eye contact with someone because you are addicted to your mobile device is rude. End of story.

There’s a time and a place for the digital world – heck, it’s my profession! But we also need to remember that there’s a time and place to turn those devices off and give other human beings our undivided attention. I’m just as guilty as anyone else reading this blog.

So, what can we do?

Unplug when it’s necessary.
Focus on eye contact.
Hold conversations longer than five minutes that don’t involve a computer/phone/iPad etc.

Remember, your behaviors have an impact on your kids, spouse, co-workers and your IN PERSON reputation.

Find the balance. Enjoy and embrace the benefits of the digital world, but learn to cherish and thrive in (real) uninterrupted human interaction as well.

It’s important.

Kelsey Jones

Social Media enthusiast who loves reading about and experimenting with the newest forms of communication. I'm a news and political junkie who loves advocacy work, the Green Bay Packers and working in this fast-paced environment.

Filed Under: Being Interesting, facebook, Social Media Tagged With: social media marketing, social media marketing agencies, social media marketing blog, social media marketing companies, social media marketing consultant, social media marketing consulting, social media marketing firm, social media marketing plan, social media marketing services, social media marketing strategy, what is social media marketing

The Status Update: It’s All About Variety

March 27, 2012 By Rob Wormley Leave a Comment

Creating a presence for your brand on social media sites like Facebook. Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or Google+ is great, but it’s really only the first baby step in a never-ending quest to build and maintain a connection with your online community (prospective clients, customers, loyal brand advocates, etc.). Here’s the harsh truth most businesses are unwilling to understand or do anything about: simply having a place for people to go—like a Facebook page for your business—isn’t enough to make people want to stay, interact regularly, or click on your seemingly enticing links to products or services.

So what is it that makes people stick around and interact with your business on social media? It’s all about the variety of information you choose to share with your network on each social media platform. Yes, consistency is important. Quality is more important than quantity. And you have to have a plan. But if you plan on consistently sharing the same old boring content, you might as well not waste your time. You need to care about the people you interact with on social media, and part of caring means being thoughtful about the information you take the time to share with them. Are you thinking about it? Or are you just going through the motions day after day?

If you’re guilty of not thinking enough about the content you’re sharing on the social media sites your business is using, then take a look at the diagram below. It will help you think more about how to add variety to the social media updates you share with the people you want to connect with.

Don’t just go through the motions because someone told you that your business needs to be on social media. Be thoughtful. Add value. Embrace variety and be creative. Care about your customers.

EXTRA: Want a PDF version of the diagram above to print out? Click here.

Rob Wormley

As a social media specialist, Rob thrives in situations that require constant creativity. On days when Rob isn’t working hard to create, maintain, and strengthen relationships online, you might find him spending time with family, browsing through his nearest bookstore, or sipping on a cup of coffee at his local Starbucks.

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Filed Under: Being Interesting, Better Tweeting, Customer Satisfaction, Engagement, facebook, Social Media, Social Media Branding, social media marketing, Social Media Strategies, Social Media Tips, Social Media Trends Tagged With: des moines social media company, One social media, social media blog, social media marketing, social media marketing agencies, social media marketing consultant, social media marketing strategy

The Language of Social Media

March 22, 2012 By Tom Hummer 1 Comment

In this video from the TED Education series, Terin Izil talks about the relationship between brevity and clarity in language. “Ten-dollar words are rendered worthless if they’re not understood,” she says. According to her, the secret to great communication is efficiency: get your point across in as few syllables as possible.

All you need to do is read the comments on this video to get an idea of the controversy it’s sparked. Some people think this is a dangerous idea, and that it would mark the death of artful language.

But despite the opposition, society has definitely moved toward simplicity. In National Treasure, there’s a scene where Benjamin Gates (played by Nicholas Cage) reads the following line from the Declaration of Independence:

“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

After he’s done, Gates says “People don’t talk that way anymore. Beautiful, huh?” and his friend, Riley, responds, “No idea what you said.” This conversation sums up the gap between the 18th century and now quite well.

Unsurprisingly, social media has definitely played a large role in this trend. On Twitter, for example, where users only have 140 characters to make their point, brevity is key. And that brevity often comes at the expense of interesting language. Even on Facebook, in text messages, and (shockingly) LinkedIn, punctuation and grammar are commonly thrown to the wind.

Since this new style isn’t going away anytime soon, the real question becomes: Is it good, or bad? Or neither?

As a social media professional with a background in literature, I’ve seen enough “LOL”s and “OMG”s to make Chaucer and Whitman roll in their graves. But surprisingly, the lack of engaging language in social media doesn’t bother me– after all, it’s about context. There’s a place for fancy, artistic language, and everyday communication isn’t that place. Izil makes that point when she talks about knowing your audience. A novelist’s audience expects different things than an online audience, because they serve different purposes.

The language of social media is here to stay. Rather than complain about it dumbing down the way we communicate, we should try to improve its efficiency. Remember– you can still read Shakespeare and Hemingway any time. But when connecting and understanding is the goal, simple is better.

Tom Hummer

Tom’s two biggest passions in life are writing and music. In his free time, Tom reads, writes, and works on musical projects.

Ready or Not, Facebook Timeline for Pages is Coming Next Week

March 20, 2012 By Taylor Hinkle 1 Comment

Facebook is notorious for making updates that send the vast majority of its users into a panic. It’s not that they are bad updates, it just seems that most people hate change and will fight it for as long as they can. That’s why Facebook often puts a date on when the updates will be made for you, whether you like it or not.

The date for Facebook Timeline for pages is March 30, 2012.

That means if you procrastinate and don’t get your page ready, it might look a little something like this when you stroll into the office on Monday morning:

Before you start trying to get your page converted, here’s what you need to know and understand about Timeline for pages:

1. Cover images are replacing landing pages – This is a huge change. This means that businesses can no longer set their pages up to have non-fans land on a custom landing page that tells them why they should “like” the page (also known as “fan-gating”). No biggie, you can just put that type of info right on the cover image… right? Wrong (see #2). The nice thing about the new cover images is that it gives a lot more space to get creative (815 x 315 px). Here’s an example of what the new cover images look like:

2. Cover images have strict guidelines – Facebook has made it pretty obvious that they don’t want businesses blatantly promoting anymore on their site (they want them to pay for advertising instead). In my opinion this is a good thing and will help weed-out some of the spammy business pages. Here’s a snapshot of some of the restrictions:
3. Your applications will still exist, you just have to prioritize them – You are allowed to have up to 12 custom applications, four of which will show up as featured applications just below your cover image. We came across this company that has a good way of making their applications stand out with the new layout:

4. Take advantage of the new “Milestones” feature - This gives you the ability to go back and showcase different milestones of achievements your business has had (first hire, first dollar of profit, various levels of growth, etc.).

5. Personal profiles can now message business pages – With the new messaging feature, profiles can now private message a Facebook page. A page cannot initiate a conversation or message with someone, they can only respond to messages initiated by a profile.

Our suggestion would be to get started on optimizing your new page ASAP. Facebook gives you the opportunity to preview your page prior to publishing. This allows you to customize it and get it ready prior to taking it live. Take advantage of that opportunity.

Good luck!

*Click here for the latest revision of Facebook’s terms for Pages.

Taylor Hinkle

An award-winning photographer and web media specialist, Taylor has lead multiple social media campaigns for some of One Social Media’s most notable clients.

Filed Under: facebook, Facebook Timeline Tagged With: facebook for pages, facebook for timeline help, facebook timeline, facebook timeline help, facebook tips, facebook tips for business pages, facebook tips for pages, how to prepare for facebook timeline, how to set up facebook for timeline, new facebook timeline, social media tips

Why You Should Be Using Instagram For Business

March 15, 2012 By Rob Wormley 3 Comments

2012 is the year of the visual. We’re finally getting to the point where most businesses are—in someway or another—participating on social media sites. So how can you ensure that your business Facebook page or Twitter profile stands apart from the competition in the eyes of the consumer? It’s all about sharing high-quality, unique, and original content. And it’s all about visuals.

Anyone can go to Google and find a photo to post on their Facebook page or Twitter account in an effort to spark interaction. But few brands understand the true power of an original image that can’t be found (and hasn’t been seen) anywhere else online.

That’s why 2012 is also the year of the photo-editing/sharing mobile apps. There are so many apps that exist within the iPhone/iPad App Store and Android Market that you can be using to share unique photos for your business or brand. So why aren’t you?

Instagram is one of the most popular iPhone photo app that individuals AND brands are using this year (about 27 million users total), and it was recently announced that the Android version is set to be released soon.

About a month ago we started sharing a few original visuals with our social media communities to illustrate how effective Instagram actually is. We’ve posted a few of them below with the hope that they’ll persuade you to start using Instagram (or any other similar app) to add a little spice and professionalism to the photos you intend to share on your social media sites.

It’s great if you have established and are maintaining a presence on popular social media sites for your business or brand. However, the key to finding continued success with your social media marketing strategy has everything to do with your ability to constantly be sharing unique, creative, informative, entertaining, and valuable content with your communities. Are you? It’s the only way you’ll stand out from the crowd.

To get started on Instagram, click here.

For other photo sharing/editing apps, click here for iPhone or click here for Android.

Rob Wormley

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Filed Under: Creativity, Customer Satisfaction, Engagement, Entertainment, facebook, Photos In Social Media, Social Media, Social Media Branding, social media marketing, Social Media Strategies, Social Media Tips, Social Media Trends

Social Media is for EVERYONE! : Old Spice Proved It

December 8, 2011 By Mike Bal Leave a Comment

We recently started working with Ergo Office Seating, an office chair supplier from San Jose California. Ergo supplies furniture dealers with high-end ergonomic office chairs, they don’t sell directly to the consumer. Keep that in mind. Ergo started their Facebook page and Twitter accounts from scratch. We also built them a blog and optimized their Youtube channel among other things. We made sure that Ergo’s slogan was represented across their designs, in their content and through their voice. In short, we have a well rounded brand rocking social media.

A lot of people would say that a B2B has no business spending this much time on social media. Here’s why those people are wrong.

Old Spice recently launched their 1 Man 7 Billion Gifts campaign where The Old Spice Man will be giving away 7 billion gifts from now till Christmas. Ergo Office Seating was selected to be one of the recipients based on their social media presence, voice and activity. Old Spice Recorded this video of the Old Spice Man sending his Christmas gifts to Ergo.

Simultaneously they had a crew film the delivery of the presents to Ergo’s Offices

Old Spice also posted on Facebook to their 1,778,338 fans and followers.

They also tweeted to Ergo. Once with the video message and then again in response to Ergo’s thanks

The video itself already has over 7,000 views.

The point is: EVERYONE should be on social media. No matter what business you’re in or what you do, you have an opportunity. This kind of exposure would normally cost you a big chunk of your marketing budget but on social media it happens for free AND they got delicious cookie cakes out of the deal!

Mike Bal

Hi, I studied advertising, I have a passion for creativity and I love working in social media. I try to write about the combination of traditional marketing, branding, and advertising strategies that can apply and work affectively with social media. I also enjoy music, batman and life.

Introducing Facebook Timeline and Open Graph | The Social Truth

September 29, 2011 By Jeremy Anderberg Leave a Comment

Last week, as most of probably know by now, Facebook introduced a whole new look for their profiles. They call it Timeline (click the link to see some screenshots). Here at One Social Media, we pulled off some Facebook wizardry and got an early look at what these changes mean and look like. Our early impressions: we love it. And we think you will to, over time. Watch the video below for our full thoughts on the new Facebook.

What are your thoughts on the changes? Excited? Apprehensive? Let us know in the comments below!

P.S. Tune in every Wednesday at 3pm CST for our weekly TV show, The Social Truth.

Jeremy Anderberg

Jeremy is a blog-reading, report-writing project manager. In his spare time he enjoys reading a good thriller, drinking a freshly brewed cup of coffee, and spending time with his wife.

Filed Under: facebook, Social Media News Tagged With: social media for marketing, social media marketing, social media marketing agencies, social media marketing blog, social media marketing companies, social media marketing consultant, social media marketing consulting, social media marketing firm, social media marketing plan, social media marketing services, social media marketing strategy, what is social media marketing

How Social Media Can Lead To Sales

July 26, 2011 By Rob Wormley 2 Comments

If there’s one common question that every business, brand, or organization new to social media has, it’s probably “how will using social media lead to sales?” It’s a fair question to ask. The problem with this question, however, lies in how it’s worded. What businesses new to social media should be asking is not “how will using social media lead to sales?”, but instead, “how can using social media lead to sales?”

It’s a slight difference, but here’s why the second question is a better question for business owners or brand executives to ask: it shows that they already understand the fact that creating a presence on social media sites doesn’t automatically lead to sales.

Unfortunately, most business owners just can’t seem to grasp this truth—that just joining social media sites isn’t a guarantee of even one new sale for a company. Developing a social media strategy for your business and joining social media sites are two very important steps to take, but if you want to actually start seeing real results—i.e. actual ROI—then you’re going to need to walk a lot further than you might have originally planned.

So with this new question in mind—”how can using social media lead to sales?”—what’s the answer? I’d be lying if I told you it was a simple “a + b + c = $$$” equation. There are a number of factors that play a part in whether or not your efforts on social media will actually lead to sales. To help you better understand what some of these factors are and how they work together, I’d like to share with you a chart that I like to call the social media equation. Here it is:

If the chart above looks complicated, it’s because it’s meant to. Because using social media to make sales isn’t as easy as a lot of people want it to be. It takes things like time, consistency, transparency, interaction, and value. It takes real work.

You may know that you have a good product that you think a lot of people could use, but if you can’t take the time to genuinely care about your followers and show them that you have a good, valuable product, you aren’t ready to be on social media.

No one wants to see a video on Facebook or a photo on Flickr that looks like an advertisement. No one wants to see the same “great deal” tweet ten times in one day.

If you decide to take the first steps to create a presence for your business on social media, it can lead to sales. It just takes time, effort, passion, dedication, authenticity, patience, and above all—a good product.

Still have questions? Ask me on Twitter. I’m @robwormley.

Rob Wormley

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Filed Under: blogging, facebook, Social Media, social media marketing, Social Media News, Social Media Trends, twitter, YouTube Tagged With: blogging, business blog, des moines social media company, des moines social media firm, joe soto, One social media, social media des moines, social media iowa, social media marketing company, social media trends

Social Media Beyond the Grave

May 17, 2011 By Jeremy Anderberg 1 Comment

It was only a matter of time. Social media has had an impact on virtually every other part of our lives. Eventually, we had to get here. Death is part of life, and social media was bound to come in contact with it at some point. We have two examples for you today of how the two have collided.

A company called Quiring Monuments in Seattle, Washington has started offering QR codes on headstones. This actually started in Japan a few years ago, and has finally made it over here to the U.S. The company puts a small QR code in the bottom corner of the headstone which links to a personal page on the company website that contains a picture, obituary and any memories family members have chosen to share.

“Similar to a personal Facebook page, a Living Headstone archive site contains information you and friends can add about your loved one, such as: an obituary, family heritage and history, photos, comments by friends and relatives and even a map to locate the memorial in the cemetery.” (source)

Here’s an example the company has posted on their website. Click on it to go to the “memorial” page, or just scan the code yourself.

Facebook has also recently taken measures to answer questions about what happens when someone with a Facebook profile passes away. With a base of 500 million people and growing every day (including among the elderly population), this problem is bound to come up more and more. As a response, they are now “memorializing” profile pages for those who are deceased. What does this mean?

Basically, Facebook preserves the account, keeping the profile and wall accessible for people to post and continue to view pictures. It functions as on online memorial site viewable to friends and family of that person.

These examples may seem strange to you, but they are merely another way that social media truly is integrating into every facet of our lives. In five years (and probably less), you will likely see much of the same and even more.

What do you think about social media beyond the grave? Chime in here, or on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Jeremy Anderberg

Jeremy is a blog-reading, report-writing project manager. In his spare time he enjoys reading a good thriller, drinking a freshly brewed cup of coffee, and spending time with his wife.