Social Media Strategies Archives

Tips to Become Better Integrated in Your Niche Community

April 8, 2013 By Joe Soto Leave a Comment

Author: Guest blogger Lindsey Patterson:

The new wave in marketing is clearly social media. However, social media marketing involves more than just creating accounts on every social network. Businesses that are using social media to its full potential are seeing more click-throughs and more conversions. These companies are using social media integration strategies to engage customers, expand their reach and enhance the online reputation of their brand.

Social networks provide platforms where communities can form around specific topics, industries and interests, and your business can become an influence in the conversations revolving around your own brand.

Using Google+ for Your Business

Google+ is fast becoming a necessary part of any social media marketing plan. With personalized search results, Google+ is one of the best ways to reach your niche community. Take advantage of the following G+ capabilities.

1 Become a member of any Google+ Communities which relate to your industry. You can’t circle an individual until they circle you, so Communities allow you to extend your reach and create business contacts when appropriate. You can also influence conversations amongst consumers about your brand.

2 Google+ Hangouts are an easy way to create content marketing. You can hold panel discussions with experts from your field or Q&A sessions with actual customers about new products and services. Record this video chat session and upload it to YouTube from the same G+ network. One Canadian photographer, Billy Wilson, has had success creating a following on Google+ using Hangouts On Air. He brings together artists, musicians and personalities every week to discuss world issues in a Hangout called, “That Show With Billy Wilson.”

3 Being that Google is already a search engine giant, establishing Google Authorship is the way to place your business at or near the top of search results. This is established simply by linking your G+ profile to your company website or blog and vice versa. Google ranks Google Authorship posts at the top of the results. The link to your post, which will include your profile picture, will stay ahead of any knock-off posts which might have followed your original content.

4 Google+ Events is a great way to promote parties, promotions or sales, and webinars for your business. The invitations sync automatically with Google Calendars, and attendees can share photos of the event directly to its photo album using a mobile app.

Develop a Community on Facebook

Approaching one billion users, Facebook is obviously a marketing force that can’t be ignored. Zappos, an online shoe sales company, has created a successful Facebook marketing campaign. Their slogan, “Let’s be in a Like-Like Relationship” is a clever invitation to become a fan of their Facebook page. Here are three other ideas which can help you develop a Facebook following.

1 Offer certain “fan-only” content.

2 Start a photo contest such as Fan-of-the-Week where fans can share photos of ways they are using your products.

3 Giveaways encourage fans to invite their friends to like your page.

Integrate Your Platforms

An essential part of any marketing plan is knowing the message you want to share. The delivery of this message should vary with each platform but the message itself must be clearly maintained. Consumers lose interest quickly in businesses that copy and paste content into multiple platforms. However, you can link your accounts and platforms to help spread the word about your brand. For example, Vivint, a home security and automation company, is an active user on Google+, using it as a platform to connect people to their blog and websites. The final three tips for integration are taken from Vivint’s example.

1 Post regularly to a company blog and share the links on social platforms.

2 Use a variety of content for posts including video, articles and photos.

3 Use widgets on your blog and websites to encourage users to share content.

With these tips, you can use Google+ and social media platforms to develop a community. When customers feel a part of your community, they develop trust, which results in more loyalty and referrals for your business.

Lindsey Patterson is a freelance writer who specializes in technology and the latest social trends, specifically involving social media. She is currently a social media advisor to Vivint. Be sure to follow them as well via Vivint’sTwitter.

Joe Soto

Joe Soto is the CEO of One Social Media. A leading expert in social media marketing, Joe has over 16 years of experience in all aspects of sales, marketing, online lead generation, and Internet marketing.

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Filed Under: social media marketing, Social Media Strategies Tagged With: develop a community on facebook, facebook marketing, social media marketing, using google plus for business, using google+ for business

What’s Your 2013 Social Media Plan Look Like?

January 21, 2013 By Joe Soto Leave a Comment

It’s 2013 and there are still many businesses, big and small, without a social media plan.

Diving into social media without having a plan is like trying to build a new home without a blueprint. For the past three years I’ve seen it so much I now consider it to be the number one biggest mistake made in social media marketing.

You wouldn’t start a new business without a business plan. Why would you put your business on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and start a blog without a plan? In 2011 my wife and I took our children to Walt Disney World for a week. She spent more time planning out that week than most business owners I’ve met in the last three years ever spend on their social media plan.

If I met your marketing team today, would they all have a copy of and be on board with your company’s social media plan? Would they know what or how you were going to measure your campaigns?

Social media ROI becomes questionable when you don’t have a plan in place that you can measure.

Intuit recently shared an infographic showcasing a plan for managing your social media presence and answers the most common questions of ”How do I use it? Why should I use it? What do I say? Who has the time?”

Infographic by Intuit | Design Credit: Column Five Media

Joe Soto

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Filed Under: Social Media Infographic, Social Media Strategies Tagged With: how to make a social media plan, joe soto, One social media, social media infographic, social media marketing, social media plan

Are You Winning the Story Wars?

August 28, 2012 By Joe Soto Leave a Comment

I recently had the chance to interview Jonah Sachs, CEO of Free Range Studios and Author of the book Winning the Story Wars: Why those who tell -and live – the best stories will rule the future.

Sachs is best known for his viral videos The Story of Stuff, The Meatrix, and Grocery Store Wars and has since been a student to how stories shape our culture and impact our lives.

In Winning the Story Wars, he revisits the art of storytelling, the impact it has on us, and how brands can embrace storytelling for their business to connect with consumers. According to Sachs,

“Today’s best marketers are creating cause and brand loyalty by telling stories that deliver a pattern of meaning for a society in need of just that. They build communities of purpose and give people an empowering sense of us.”

Storytelling is the newest “buzz” online as more and more marketers are trying to grasp the art of storytelling to get people talking about their brand. In the book, Sachs shares his formula for storytelling success, a proven strategy for crafting your own story. He doesn’t just make the point emphasizing “building stories around shared values,” he actually gives you the strategy to do it.

That’s what makes his book different and such an enjoyable read.

In the Skype interview below, you’ll hear these concepts discussed as he answers questions about what he calls “empowerment marketing,” why myths are so important to storytelling, and why all wars are story wars. We also discuss what he calls “marketing’s five deadly sins” which I found particularly insightful and interesting.

Visit www.WinningTheStoryWars.com for more information or pick up a copy of book on Amazon.

Click to connect with Jonah on Twitter

Click to connect with Joe Soto on Twitter

Joe Soto

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Filed Under: Branding, Social Media Strategies, Uncategorized Tagged With: branding, free range studios, joe soto, jonah sachs, marketing stories, One social media, social media, social media strategy, the art of storytelling, winning the story wars book review

How to Figure Out Which Social Networks are Right for Your Business

July 11, 2012 By Taylor Hinkle Leave a Comment

The world of social media is a little crazy these days. What started as a handful of social media platforms has rapidly exploded into hundreds. For a business just testing the waters and trying to figure out which platforms to use and how to use them, it can seem like a daunting task.

Think about it; For a business attempting to finally get involved in social media they have to:

Decide who is going to manage and be responsible for their social media efforts
Set-up a blog (this is not optional)
Figure out which platforms they need to be involved in based on who their audience is
Figure out how to use each platform
Set-up accounts properly on all of those platforms
Create designs where necessary for each platform
Integrate the platforms where necessary
Develop a posting strategy for each platform
Monitor each platform on a daily basis (in most cases)
Continually make updates on each platform

Getting your business on social media is not just something you wake up and decide to do. It’s something that takes a lot of thought and a lot of strategic thinking before you ever make a single post.

The main thing to keep in mind is that just because there are a ton of social media sites and services out there, doesn’t mean your business needs to be involved in all of them. If you are just getting started, you should focus on the big ones like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Google +. Which platforms you will focus the majority of your efforts on depends on who your audience is, what your business has to offer, and what your goals of your social media efforts are. If YouTube doesn’t make sense for your business, don’t spend your time on YouTube.

The infographic below will help you get a better understanding of the major social media platforms and might even give you some ideas of how you can use them for your business.

For even more helpful advice, click on the image below:

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: Infographics, Social Media, Social Media Strategies, Social Media Tips Tagged With: How to Figure Out Which Social Networks are Right for Your Business, how to get my business on social media, how to get my business started on social media, how to get started on social media, social media for business, which social media sites should i use

Social Media For Business: How To Get Started NOW

July 6, 2012 By Rob Wormley Leave a Comment

Thinking about working on creating or improving the social media strategy for your business over the weekend? Not sure where to start? Let me take some time to share with you some of my favorite resources. In my professional opinion, the best way find success on social media is to:

Learn from others who have already “tested the waters”
Set up profiles and start experimenting in real-time

The resources below will help you with both ways. Enjoy!

Recommended E-Books:

How To Master Facebook Timeline and Ads
Strategies For Effective Facebook Wall Posts
Strategies for Effective Tweeting: A Statistical Review
Top 10 Ways To Engage Your Fans
The Essential Step-By-Step Guide To Internet Marketing
The 15 Imperatives of LinkedIn
55 Brands Rocking Social Media with Visual Content
How to Attract Customers with Twitter
How to Use Pinterest for Business
The Essential Guide to Writing and Launching eBooks that Generate Leads
120 AWESOME Marketing Stats, Charts, & Graphs

Places To Go To Get Started:

Create a Facebook Page
Create a Twitter Profile
Start Using Instagram
Sign Up For Pinterest
Create a LinkedIn Company Page
Create and Participate in LinkedIn Groups
Create a WordPress blog
Create a Tumblr blog

For even more helpful advice, click on the image below:

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.

What The Ninja Turtles Taught Me About Social Media

June 2, 2012 By Mike Bal Leave a Comment

The world of social media is more diverse than most people realize. It’s not just about posting on all of your channels, which takes a certain skills-set of its own. You need ideas to create and share interesting and valuable content. You need analytics to see what’s working and what’s not. You need leadership to create conversations and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry and with your customers. And you need to take a few risks to make sure that you’re not missing any opportunities. This is what brings us to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…

This is a team of diverse and dedicated talent that can really handle any situation. At least in theory. Sure they’re fictional, but that’s not the point. The creators knew that different personalities would relate with different characters. The same is true about social media. The same strategy won’t work across every channel. You need to mix and match the different elements and skills to come up with the perfect mix for each situation.

To support this idea with a little nonfiction, Facebook just opened up new admin roles for pages. This gives different admins different levels of access and allows them to focus on different aspects of the overall project. (See Image Below)

What that tells us is that social media, not even one channel, is not meant to be managed by one individual. No matter how diverse and talented that person is, they won’t be able to execute nearly as well as a team of specialized individuals. If you want to see real results from your social media efforts you have to make sure you’re doing EVERYTHING. The best way to ensure your success is to find a team comprised of the four personalities/talents listed below.

The Creative aka Michelangelo – This person never stops coming up with ideas. They are also the person who will ask the questions that no one else is asking. They may not always come up with the million-dollar idea but they will play a role in the thought process. Use their perspective to help put a creative spin on the strategies you’re already doing and to identify opportunities that you might be missing.

The Technical Analyst aka Donatello – This person pays attention to all of the details. They can tell you what’s working and what’s not because they have a knack for understanding analytics. This person is the rhyme and reason behind what you’re doing. They can tell you if that “great idea” was as great as everyone thought it would be and they can tell you where you need to adjust your strategy. They can also help translate industry-related research and understand how it affects your goals and strategies as an organization. Without this person on your team you are essentially just guessing.

The Risk Taker aka Raphael – This person isn’t afraid to fail. That may seem frustrating at times, but it’s essential to your future success on social media. If you never take any risks you’ll miss your window of opportunity because in social media those windows don’t stay open for long. This is the person who will make you the first to do something different and that’s what you really need to do in order to gain attention and respect.

The Leader aka Leonardo – This is the person you can count on to look at the big picture. They will make sure to keep the team working towards the main goal. This is also the person who is best at representing the brand through conversation. They’re confident and well-versed in everything related to your brand. They understand your audience and are best at starting and maintaining conversations.

Now, when I think back to watching countless episodes of this childhood classic I remember one very important thing. That every challenge the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles faced required a different balance of each member. Sometimes they would rely heavily on Leonardo to get them through a problem and sometimes Donatello would crunch the data to come up with the solution or ideal strategy. Michelangelo could pull an idea out of thin air that was just crazy enough to work and Raphael would sometimes take the problem head on and find the opportunity needed to succeed. The one thing that remained clear is that they would never be able to succeed on their own.

If you’re looking for more ways to succeed online download our complimentary and Essential Step-By-Step Guide To Internet Marketing by clicking below.

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.

Want Success on Social Media? You’ll Need Tradition Too

May 23, 2012 By Kelsey Jones Leave a Comment

With the emergence of all this “new” media (social media, blogging, mobile websites, mobile apps, digital marketing, digital video sharing, memes, photo sharing… the list goes on), we sometimes get wrapped up in the idea that alone, with simply social media, we can turn a business into a multi-million dollar, industry leading company!

If you have a strong brand, strong brand presence and are willing to pour money, time AND talent into your social media, you WILL see success. Here’s the BIG BUT…

Simply being a part of and active on social media won’t make this happen. In order to really utilize all the strengths of social media and your social media presence, your company needs to incorporate their traditional marketing and media strategies into your plan. Do your marketing goals line up with your social media strategies? Does your public relations plan align or include social media? Are you promoting your social media offline?

You may have a great looking Facebook page or blog, but if you just expect people to find or participate in your social media organically without any offline promotion, you may be disappointed.

How can you incorporate your social media offline?

Put social media icons on marketing materials – include a QR code where people can easily ‘like’ or ‘follow’ you!

Don’t simply send out press releases or post press releases online, but mention and link your releases to your social media. Connect with traditional media journalists and editors on Twitter and Facebook.

Incorporate social media as part of your “in-shop” strategy. Television programs are great at this – reading tweets on air, promoting a #hashtag throughout a program, etc. Find a way that your business can talk about and share social media engagement offline. Have a fan of the week get in-store discounts, share testimonials about your product or service from Twitter or Facebook in a newsletter or press release.

How are you incorporating social media into your traditional marketing and media strategies? Let us know!

If you want more information on pumping up your digital marketing, click the image below to download our complimentary e-book on the essentials of internet marketing.

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: Marketing Trends, Social Media, Social Media Strategies Tagged With: digital marketing strategies, how to get fans on social media, online marketing and PR strategies, social media and public relations, social media marketing, social media marketing plan

The Essence of Branding With Marty Neumeier

May 16, 2012 By Mike Bal Leave a Comment

I was recently fortunate enough to pick the brains of one of the most respected names in branding, Marty Neumeier. Marty has authored a series of three “whiteboard overview” books, titled THE BRAND GAP, ZAG, and THE DESIGNFUL COMPANY, which have been hailed as breakthroughs by Fast Company, BusinessWeek, and Harvard Business Review. ZAG was recently named one of “The Top 100 Business Books of All Time.”

You might be thinking that branding doesn’t have a lot to do with social media. If that’s the case, you’re wrong. Your brand is incredibly important to every aspect of your organization and especially to any touchpoint you have with your customers. How you look, what you do, what you say and how you say it should all line up with your brand’s core beliefs, especially on social media. The relationships you build with your customers could last a lifetime… or they could be forgotten about tomorrow. It really depends on how much thought and energy you decide to put into your brand.

All of Marty’s books are highly recommended by our team as their ideas and principles can be applied to every aspect of your business. Marty and I had a great conversation, but instead of me just giving you the hour long chat from start to finish, I decided to break them up into shorter videos that focus on one question at a time. Check out the playlist below to get ideas about what your brand might be missing and how you can make it stronger.

If you have any more questions you can always shoot them our way by tweeting us @onesocialmedia or me directly @creativeithink. If you’re looking for more tips on branding and specifically on social media check out our free webinar by clicking below.

Mike Bal

Diversify Your Social Media Portfolio

May 9, 2012 By Tom Hummer Leave a Comment

In high-school speech class, we’re taught that speeches typically have at least one of three purposes: to entertain, to inform, or to persuade. Whether it’s Dane Cook doing stand-up comedy, a campaigning politician at a rally, or a professor giving a geology lecture, if somebody’s talking, it fits into one of these categories.

But this isn’t limited to spoken word– the same can be said for almost anything written, including social media. Try going to your Twitter feed, reading through the top ten tweets, and figuring out which category each tweet belongs in. See what I mean?

Unfortunately, hot-shot orators have an edge that common Twitter users don’t: people’s time and attention. This gives them the opportunity to combine the three kinds of speeches with ease. If a speaker gets on a stage for even half an hour, for example, they have more than enough time to inform their audience, persuade them, and do it in an entertaining way. How is anyone supposed to accomplish that in a Facebook post, let alone the 140-character confines of Twitter?

You can’t.

But here’s something you can do: mix it up.

Instead of trying to persuade people to buy your product all the time, teach them something that might add value to their lives. Instead of writing sarcastic or witty commentary about everything, post something genuinely deep and thoughtful. Throw your friends and followers a curve ball, and they’ll realize that there might just be a side of you they never knew about. Being multi-dimensional like this is a great way to attract a wider audience while keeping your current audience more interested.

Don’t get me wrong– consistency can also be important. If you’ve got a particular image or reputation to uphold, you don’t want to do a complete turnaround. Still, I’m willing to bet that you’ve got more wiggle room than you want to admit.

Here are a few examples of people diversifying their social media portfolio:

1. The Australian Census

In July 2011, a Twitter user sent a goofy question to the Australian Census’ Twitter account. What he probably didn’t expect was for the organization to play along:

Why it works: The general public wants to see that the government is made up of real people. We all like it when the folks in charge are a bit less stuffy than usual, and this is one heck of a start.

2. The White House Rick-Rolling Someone via Twitter

After someone had complained about a boring correspondence briefing on Twitter, The White House’s Twitter responded to them with a link that sent them to the infamous video of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”:

Why it works: Mostly for the same reasons as The Australian Census example, but The White House gets extra points for being trendy and including a popular American prank.

3. Cake

If you’re not familiar with them, Cake is a California-based alternative-rock band, known for their absurd lyrics, great trumpet parts, and a fun, funky sound. Based on their music alone, the last thing you’d expect is for them to get all dark and serious on their Facebook.

But that’s exactly what they do:

Of course, there’s still the occasional music video, recording footage, or tour update, but this kind of content is also sprinkled throughout their timeline.

Why it works: Honestly, I can’t really say whether it does or doesn’t. Cake have actually alienated some fans by straying too far away from the music. This is a very extreme example, and while I don’t recommend it to everyone, I also can’t help but respect Cake for having the guts to stand up for what they believe in.

Whether you’re representing yourself or a business, take a look at your Tweets and Facebook posts and ask yourself this question: do I need to diversify my social media portfolio?

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.

Filed Under: Better Tweeting, Social Media, Social Media Strategies, Social Media Tips Tagged With: social media agency, social media blog, social media for business, social media marketing, social media marketing blog, social media marketing strategy, social media tips

Can Social Media Be an Artistic Outlet?

April 16, 2012 By Tom Hummer Leave a Comment

In my last blog post, The Language of Social Media, I wrote about how social media is changing the way we write. Our vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation all take a back seat to being casual and brief.

Whether this movement is good or bad is entirely debatable: there’s no objective answer. But regardless of your view on the matter, some people are embracing this change and seeing it as an opportunity instead of an obstacle. Here’s one of them.

Teju Cole is a Nigerian-American writer, who has spent time living in both countries. Cole’s experiences give him a unique perspective on life, death, and the different social issues that America and Nigeria face. Along with being an accomplished author and photographer, Cole uses his Twitter account as an artistic outlet of a different kind.

Cole’s tweets mix social commentary, American history, and Nigerian culture– only he writes them as poetry. This unique blend of content and delivery often come off as morose obituaries or headlines, and they certainly aren’t for the weak-hearted. Still, Cole achieves a goal that most of the Twitterverse has yet to reach: he makes you think. Here are some recent examples of his tweets:

What Cole proves without a doubt is that social media can be used as an artistic outlet. And I don’t mean in the way that bands, artists, and authors use it to promote their newest product– I mean it in the sense that social media is providing the actual basis for creation. Twitter is Cole’s canvas, not just a place where he can post a link for people to view or buy his canvas.

On top of that, Cole hardly ever self-promotes on his Twitter. After going back through a week’s worth of tweets (probably about 100), the only kind of posts I could find besides the ones shown above, are the occasional wordy (albeit macabre) joke, and a lot of interaction with his followers.

Cole is showing how to make a personal brand through social media while keeping his integrity as an artist. So what can we take from his example? A lot of things:

Be unique.
Provide value in a way that nobody else is.
Don’t be overly-promotional.
Write about what you know and care about.
Don’t be afraid to be provocative.
Be persistent.
Don’t complain about or shun change: use it to your advantage
Be consistent.
Turn obstacles and restrictions into opportunities.

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.

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