Retweet This If You’re Busy

Social media pundits have been evangelizing the power of engagement for years. And they’re not wrong; engagement matters. But it’s not the only metric, and measuring engagement isn’t universal. Some will tell you the only real value in social media comes from dialogue – if you’re not having a back and forth with your stakeholders, you’re not accomplishing anything. That may have been true in the early days of social, but times have changed.

Social media goals, like traditional media goals will vary depending on your business objectives. For some brands, a story in The Wall Street Journal is a win, but for others, all that matters is exposure in Truck Fleet Management magazine. The same goes for social. Sometimes, likes and shares will matter most. Other times, site traffic, and good old-fashioned sales will be the metrics that matter most. And, depending on your audience, the metric might change too.

Take comments – often held up as the ultimate symbol of social engagement success. In some social circles, comments are meaningless. Men, for example, comment more often than women. Statistician Emma Pierson, analyzed one million comments made on New York Times online articles between June 2013 and Jan. 2014. As Pierson noted on Quartz, “Only 25% of comments were made by women, even though 44% of New York Times readers are female.” Other research supports her findings. And working parents – male and female? What are the chances, that after reading your content, they will stop to create a profile, or fill out a Captcha form and drop their two cents on your site? Given how busy their lives are, it’s unlikely. They might, however, share your content on Twitter. After all, retweets are the busy person’s comments.

So before you set your engagement metrics for your next social media campaign, consider your audience and where, when and how they interact online and off. What the pundits say doesn’t matter. How your audience behaves does.

It’s The Most Wonderful time of the Year: For Social Media

Over the holidays, social habits change. Users spend even more hours on social media, making December a great time of year to connect with your audience.  This doesn’t however mean you have to spend extra time posting and Tweeting instead of celebrating. Follow our four easy steps below to help schedule your social media posts.

Step 1: Pre-plan what to post

• Taking an hour to schedule your posts now will save you hours of time in the future.
• Focus on fun, entertaining and non-intrusive content and remember that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Step 2: Learn how to post effectively

• We recommend utilizing the (free) social media management tool Hootsuite to follow updates and share content with your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ accounts. To schedule a post, type it in the composition area, select the accounts you want to post to and then set your time and date in the calendar. Of course, during any kind of local, national or world crisis, cancel all scheduled posts.

Step 3: Decide when to post

• The day and time you post to social media will have a definite impact on the amount of impressions and engagements that your content receives. For example, if you want to schedule a post for Christmas Eve day, choose the morning instead of early evening when many families will be eating dinner and are not likely to be surfing the Web.

Step 4: Keep it real

• Be prepared that opportunities from real-time events can increase exposure and keep your content relevant. If time permits, pay attention to your notifications and respond in real-time to your followers when they interact with your brand. Create calendar alerts or phone reminders to help you remember when to incorporate real-time posts into your holiday social media strategy.

photo credit: Bill Selak via photopin cc

Infobesity Is Bad For Your Health (A Content Strategy Is the Remedy)

In this content-rich media world we now live in, it’s more important than ever for companies to create their own content and share it to relevant sources and influencers; this is how you deliver your message, reach your target customers, share your unique offerings and POV, and improve your search results. Content is how you control your message.

But there’s a dark side to a content-rich world: infobesity. Macmillan Dictionary describes infobesity as, “the condition of continually consuming large amounts of information, especially when this has a negative effect on a person’s well-being and ability to concentrate.”

So how does a company dish out the right amount of content? Simple, build a content strategy. Delivering content without a strategy is like serving empty calories.

A content strategy organizes your content assets so that they reach the right stakeholders at the right time – and maps the content to where those stakeholders are in the buying cycle – awareness, consideration, decision or loyalty. A smart content strategy creates a blueprint for content distribution through multiple channels (website, blog, direct marketing, sales materials, media relations, social media, etc.) so that you are always delivering the right content, at the right time, on the right channel.

Have you thought about your 2015 content strategy? What will you be serving?

Let’s Talk About Google Plus

If you think your company doesn’t need a Google Plus profile because you’re on  Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, think again. Posts you share on Google Plus are indexed by Google’s search engine, meaning that if you’re sharing content and posts about your company’s products or services, when someone searches on the topic, you are more likely to show up. And, if you’re looking to target influencers and audiences by segments and audience (and you should be!), Google Plus can help. Google Circles allow you to track what kind of content the people in your circles care about and then you can share relevant information via Google Communities.

Here are some simple steps to get started on Google Plus if you’re not already there.

• Create your company page
 Create your company profile, adding relevant photos and information so visitors can easily understand who you are and what you offer.
• Spread the word 
Have employees and partners on Google Plus add you to their circles and start sharing content.
• Connect across platforms
 Connect your Google Plus profile to your other social profiles  (website, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). This will help drive traffic to your Google Plus page.
• Find relevant communities
 Search for communities that are relevant to you company. Listen to the conversations happening here.
• Share content
 Share content that is relevant to your community. Share a mix of company-generated content and industry news.

And after you get started, don’t give up. It takes time to build a presence and reap the rewards from any social platform. Map out three, six and 12 month goals for your Google Plus page. Maintain a consistent strategy and you’ll see the results.

 

 

When You Pitch A Blogger

Smart marketers know that blogs outrank other social networks when it comes to consumer influence. In fact, according to Technorati, blogs are the third most influential online resource for people considering a purchase, after retail sites and brand sites.

But not all marketers know how to approach bloggers. As both a brand representative and a blogger, I’ve seen a lot of pitches and I’ve been documenting what makes a pitch work, or not work. Here are some best practices for reaching out to bloggers.

Tell the blogger what you want. As we often say at Double Forte, “The point of communication is to stop it.” If you want a blogger to write a review, tell them that. And tell them how you will deliver the product or service, what your terms are, if any, and any other relevant information about the product or service including price and delivery. Vague requests will probably end up in the trash folder. Considering 82 percent of bloggers make less than $10,000 per year, you can assume many of them have other jobs and don’t have time to trade multiple emails with you.

Say what you mean. There seems to be a recent (and bad) trend among brand representatives to ask bloggers for their input on a new product or service – when what they’re really looking for is coverage. If you want coverage, write a good old-fashioned pitch letter. If it’s relevant, and you’ve targeted the right blogs, that’s all you should need.

Ask for UVMs after you make an offer. It’s bad form to offer a blogger a paid opportunity and then pull the deal when the bloggers’ readership doesn’t match your criteria. It’s easy to check page views and followers so do that before reaching out. If a blogger doesn’t meet your criteria, then don’t approach them. But know that before you pitch.

Be prepared to pay. No, not every blogger engagement is pay-for-play. But if you are asking a blogger to post specific content, at a specific time, in a specific manner, you’re asking to buy real estate on their blog and you should compensate the blogger for that.

Brands and bloggers can be beautiful partners when both sides understand where the other is coming from.

– Liz

photo credit: rcade via photopin cc

Social Media Lessons from E3

Last week, when E3 opened its doors to more than 48,900 video game professionals, we commented here on the growing importance of social media in the industry. As the agency responsible for managing E3’s public relations, we credentialed more YouTubers than ever before and the day before the show opened we saw more than 900,000 videos posted.
Clearly social media, in all of its varied forms, has become a critical amplification tool and message delivery mechanism. Here are some of the other digital trends we observed last week.

Twitter

• Twitter dominated as the social channel of choice for sharing information during E3 because the platform is fast, easy and immediate.
• Driving the Tweets and the RTs were the gaming fans not at the show. Social media allowed them to experience the event real-time and clearly that is what they wanted.
• One interesting note about Twitter is that Mashable was a top influencer on the platform. Technically a blog, Mashable functions as almost a hybrid of traditional and digital media with its full writing, editing and publishisng staff. The outlet’s authority and influence are undeniable across not only gaming, but all technology sectors.

YouTube and Twitch

• Video views surged at the start of the show and then dipped while show goers were busy making the rounds of booths and exhibits. They surged again following Nintendo’s Treehouse event. As the media reported on the event, more people were turning to YouTube and Twitch, proving quality content will always be a top driver of views, shares and likes.

Facebook

• Facebook lagged behind other platforms in share of voice and was the least active major social platform during E3. The platform just doesn’t lend itself well to the types of real-time, interactive conversations that were driving much of the social activity related to the show.

Instagram

• Interestingly, Instagram generated more impressions (over 30 million) than Facebook (approximately 25 million).
• Clearly, at an event as popular and information-rich as E3, speed, authority, and visuals are the new currency for influencers.

“Traditional” media

• And through it all, traditional media outlets from broadcast to print were steady in their reporting and coverage. These outlets still matter; still carry authority, reach and influence. But they certainly don’t dominate. No, it’s the consumer of of media that makes the rules, not the medium itself. Marketers need to meet their audiences where they are and they need to deliver their messages as appropriate – whether that’s a 60-second clip, 140 characters, an unfiltered image, or a 600 word op-ed.

The Future of Marketing Is Upon Us And It’s at E3

I’m in Los Angeles attending my 16th Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3. Would you believe I attended my first show at the age of 6? Anyway, Double Forte manages public relations and media credentialing for the show, and has for the last five years, giving us an insider’s view of who’s here, what’s hot and what changes each year.

Many things remain the same year over year: big production press conferences, new games, virtual reality, suspended reality (you should see some of the characters here), more press conferences and parties…and parties. But something’s different about the event this year.

This year we credentialed more YouTubers than ever before. And already we’re feeling the effects. Last year at this time just over one thousand videos were posted to YouTube. This year that number as I type this just went over 900,000…and it’s climbing.

There is no denying the ever-growing importance of social media as both an amplification tool and message delivery mechanism. In addition to the spike in videos, E3 has received more than double the number of tweets year over year so far (and the show hasn’t started!), and Instagram posts are steady. And so far there are 24 million views on the official E3 livestream at twitch.tv/team/e3! (again, the show hasn’t started!)

And just when you think social is the be all to end all, these trends wouldn’t be happening if the industry wasn’t all here at a trade event (no consumers allowed) focused on games, games and more games. Without a doubt these numbers show the importance of in-person, face-to-face, mask-to-mask, sound system to sound system experiences. So many of these videos are from people and companies already here, but a huge number are from people who wish they could make the trip to E3.

Gamers want their information and they want it fast and unfiltered. They’re not relying solely on traditional influencers like media and analysts – although those players still serve a vital role defining news, deciphering trends, analyzing information and providing perspective. But they are joined by a whole new army of arbiters whose opinions matter and are fueled by likes, RTs and shares.

It’s time to rethink outdated definitions of influence, impact and editorial. The future of marketing is upon us and it’s on display in LA this week.

• Lee

When and How Frequently to Post to Social: the Guidelines

We’ve been doing some research on when and how often to post to social sites. Our recommendations on how frequently to post are based on many different articles on the topic, our own tests, and some old-fashioned common sense.

When to post is a trickier topic. While many claim to have the answers, the solution really depends on who you’re trying to reach. Want to reach a busy, working mother? You’ll probably find her online before work and after the kids go to bed. Looking to reach millennials? Middle of the day is a good time. Want to reach professionals on the West Coast? Then post during lunch if you’re on the East Coast.

The best approach to social is to test your theories and then match your strategy to your target audience. But for some general guidelines we recommend:

Post to Facebook approximately 7 times per week. Share a mix of content about you and your company, if you’re posting on behalf of a brand, as well as useful articles and links to resources that will benefit your customers. And share deals and discounts when appropriate. One of the main reasons people follow brands online is to receive special offers.

Post to Twitter liberally, between 5 and 10 times per day, but do space your tweets. Again, remember to use a mix of personal and professional. People like to do business with other people, so don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through.

Post to LinkedIn less frequently than to other sites. Consider sharing a useful article, video or resources once per day. And take advantage of LinkedIn’s new publishing tool at least once per week by posting your opinion on an important business issue.

There are no definitive rules when it comes to sharing via social media. But there are guidelines: be human, authentic, consistent, relevant and useful. Keep your brand and your customers front of mind and have fun.

Best Practices for Using Social Media as a Customer Service Tool

A few weeks ago, in our post Use Your Power for Good Not Evil, we wrote about using Twitter as a customer complaint platform. It can be tempting and risky as a consumer to call out bad service on a public platform. Do it effectively, and you can get results. Strike the wrong tone, and your tweet can back fire.

But one thing that almost always generates good results is when brands use social media to augment their customer service efforts. There was a great article in the Washington Post earlier this month about how airlines are interacting with fliers via Twitter.

It just makes sense to connect with your customers on their platform of choice. If your customers are on Twitter, tweet. If they’re on Facebook, post. And if they use that old-fashioned device called the telephone, by all means answer when they call, and list a phone number on your website. Don’t force your customers to adapt to your communication systems; build systems that accommodate the customer.

And while you’re at it, follow these best practices for customer communications:

1. Be responsive. Social media users expect immediate gratification. Act fast. Even if you can’t solve a problem right away you can at least respond and let your customer know you’re on the case.
2. Listen. Nothing turns off a customer more than a brand that only communicates one-way. Social media is not a hose through which you pump your marketing messages. It’s a place to have conversations – with people.
3. Be human. Speaking of people, be human in your social interactions. Remember people do business with people, not with bots.
4. Shut it down. Sometimes, the point of communication is to stop it. Make sure you quickly and clearly convey the information needed in each update. And if a situation is dragging out, take it off line or to private messages and resolve it behind the scenes.

Photo credit: Thrift Store Addict via photopin cc