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Random Thoughts

Hiring a Social Media Manager

Social Media
Social Media

In working in the field of social media for a number of years, as well as earning a Master Degree in Social Media Management, I can honestly say that there is much more that goes into social media management than simply mindlessly posting status updates.   I highly recommend any small business hire a trained individual to manage their social media platforms. In doing so small business owners will see the benefits, not only from having extra time not having to manage their social media platforms, but also will also see first hand how a trained social media professional strategical implements a social media plan to obtain goals.

Now, I recently read a blog that was completely against hiring a social media manager, claiming that basically any individuals with this title are just scam artist.  To say the least I was more than  little upset by this bogus blog.  This individual clearly did not know anything about the amount of data collection and social media metrics that go into creating a killer social media platform.  Nor, did this individual consider the return on investment (ROI) calculations that need to be done in order to depict that  client’s investment in a social media manager is worthwhile.  Also, social media managers are also responsible for SEO, meaning optimizing your ability to be found on the internet using a vast amount of strategies to do so.  If you are a small business owner or an owner of large organization and have not yet hired a social media professional, I recommend doing your research and finding the most qualified candidate to manage your social media platforms!

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Random Thoughts Tips and tricks

Common Social Media Mistakes Made by Businesses

Social Media Mistakes

social media mistakes

 

 

 

So, as a social media professional, one of the biggest mistakes I see small businesses making on their social media sites, is overselling.  This is  very common social media mistake, as businesses want to push their products, depict how great their prices are, and overall promote what they offer as an organization.  However, this is a big “no, no”, you want to come across as a human, not a sales robot!  In coming across as a pushy sales person on social media sites you will loose fans and overall interest.  Individuals join social networking sites, in general, to build and maintain relationships, connect with other like minded individuals, and in general be social.  The last thing your followers want is to feel like you are trying to force feed them a sales pitch.  So, it is all about balance.  As a business you should have two personailities when it comes to managing your social media sites.  Every business/organization should have a personal side and a business side when managing their social networking sites.  In order to avoid coming across too “salesy” be sure that you are posting like an individual would.  Meaning aim to create posts consisting of:

  • Quotes
  • Relevant information (articles, other sites, blogs, etc.)
  • Sharing information (connect with others through sharing relevant posts.
  • Images (these speak louder than words)
  • Open ended posts to get users involved.

Bottom line, every thing you post should not directly be about selling your business.

However, as I stated you should have a business side in managing your sites.  In having this side, you will keep in mind that even your personalized posts should directly relate to what you are trying to sell/promote.  For example, if I own an outdoor recreation business I want all of my content I posts to be related to outdoor recreation.  It simply would not make sense, and possibly confuse followers if I began to post content about beauty tips and tricks…So, keep it relevant and keep it personal!

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Random Thoughts

The Snapchat Bandwagon


Recently I have been very interested in finding out more information about Snapchat. I wrote about Snapchat in the past, but lately I discovered that this application is consistently absent from much of the social media research being down. Meaning, researchers have pulled data that clearly shows when the best times to post on sites like Facebook and Twitter are, but not when to send photo messages through Snapchat. However, currently research does tell us that the Millennial generation loves this application! Meaning if you were born somewhere in between 1980’s-2000’s you should be on the Snapchat craze!

Now, after doing some digging on Snapchat, I have to say I was schocked that most of the articles that were linked to this application are primarily negative in nature. Meaning one article from fox news read, “Snapchat do we want an erasable future?” The next posting I found was from a blogger ranting about how dumb Snapchat was and his “proof” depicting photos. It is clear that this is a heavily scrutinized application. However, it is something new and plain fun! This application gives individuals the opportunity to stay visually and nonverbally connected with one another through very brief messages. I find this application extremely beneficial for those especially who are trying to maintain some kind of a long distance relationships. Meaning, instead of Skyping, using Facetime, or talking on the phone (which lacks visuals), Snapchat allows users to constantly stay in touch with one another. A simple 10sec. message allows users to maintain and build relationships. I think that Snapchat is not getting the credit it deserves and we need to look deeper into this explosive application.

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/12/23/rise-snapchat-do-want-erasable-internet/

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Uncategorized

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you all enjoy a relaxing day filled with Christmas cheer and time spent with family! Just for fun check out this video of Teddy Bear the porcupine finding his own Christmas cheer… 😉

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Random Thoughts

Time

Best Times To Post
http://goo.gl/GtxNC6

I recently read an article that had an awesome infographic , and it depicted what time of the day is best to post.  Therefore, the article was based around time.  Take a look at the infographic as it breaks down each social media site and what is the best time to post on each.  While I found this article very useful, I also found it to be somewhat underdeveloped.  What I mean here is that significant social media sites were missing.  Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Youtube were all absent from this article.  I found this extremely odd, because these are major social media platforms that are consistently growing in popularity.  I also found it interesting that all of these platforms  are mainly used for visual representation.  Meaning we use these platforms to send visual types of information, such as pictures and videos.  This made me wonder, is there a different set of “posting” rules to follow when using platforms that are mainly visual in nature?

Now the article states specific periods throughout the day that are good to post and bad to post.  However, when it comes to using applications such as Snapchat is a message sent at 2am just as effective or seen just as positively as one sent at 2pm?  In my opinion, yes and no.  I think that these applications that are mainly used for visual representation can be just as effective if used in the wee hours of the morning or mid afternoon depending on the relationship the sender and the receiver of the message currently have with one another.

Okay, so what I mean here, is imagine it is 2am and you are receiving a Snapchat alert from…let’s say Social Media In’s and Out’s…advertising an infographic of their companies effectiveness as social media consultants.  What is your reaction?  Now, imagine the same scenario, but instead you receive a message from your significant other sending you some sort of heartfelt visual message.  Now what is your reaction?  My guess is your reaction would be very different if you received an advertisement at 2am versus a message from a loved one.  The relationship matters!  My point here is that the same rules do not apply to the sending and receiving of visual messages, such as through Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, and Tumblr because concerning these types of messages the rules are unclear on what is acceptable and what is not.  So when is the best time to send a visual message through these applications…it really depends on who you are and who you are sending it to!

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Random Thoughts

Fiverr- Buying Fans

Buying fans and followers…I have discussed this before, but recently I have started working for a new company and it is common practice to buy fans and followers through a site called Fiverr. Now before working for this company I was totally against buying fans and followers, I did not understand why someone would want to do this…However, my views have somewhat changed.

So, first let me break down this site, Fiverr. What this site does is offer a place for freelance individuals to sell their services for a very low rate, usually $5. You can buy basically anything off this site for only $5. For example, I recently had someone create 4 different logos for me for just $10. One of the main attractions that this site offers is the buying and selling of fans/followers for various social networks and for a very low price. The networks include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Now if you would do this through the actual social network sites themselves you would be paying way more than $5 for the amount of fans Fiverr guarantees you. I would caution you though, some sellers on Fiverr are more experienced than others and I would always chose a more experienced, higher rated seller. Meaning, always check the ratings before buying.

Now, an avid user of this site, my views on buying fans/followers has slightly changed…As I said previously I had no idea why someone would buy fans, what are you really gaining? Well for just 5 bucks you are gaining an immense following…which I know is not real. However, it looks real and it looks to others that you are an established organization that others follow and are interested in. It is all about image and if you appear to be desired, others will also find you desirable. You have to learn to play the game if you want to succeed.

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Just for fun

Vine

A compilation of Vine videos just to make you smile!
http://youtu.be/4xWVTG_4j1U

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Random Thoughts Tips and tricks

Pictures Please!

Social Media Images

One of the biggest Do’s in the social media world is to provide your consumers with images! Because the social media realm moves so quickly if you as an organization or individual do not provide your consumers with a quick attention getting visual you are sure to get lost in fast paced nature of social media networking. Visuals, therefore, have become extremely important, and I say this because we are the right now generation! We want things now! What I mean by this, is imagine if you are clicking on a webpage and it does not load immediately…what do you do? You find something else! Something quicker, something that will give you immediate results. I think of us, metaphorically, as the generation with SAD (Shortened Attention Disorder). This is my own personal term to describe our generation’s current need for immediate results and the fast paced nature of taking in information. Our attention spans are now shorter and we are more impatient as a result. This is not to say that we can not focus on tasks for long periods of time, we simply choose to get the most information out of the shortest time period possible.

I think a good example of how our attention span has changed is if you think back to dial up internet…can you imagine going back to it? Sitting and waiting for your internet to connect and then if the phone rang you were kicked off…I don’t think so!

This is why it is all the more important for all social media users to realize that this is the way things are now, we want immediate results. Meaning if you do not grab your audience’s attention within 5 seconds or so, you have lost them. I highly recommend carefully thinking about your posts and filling them with attention grabbing images. Now these posts can have text as well, but as human beings we are drawn to aesthetically pleasing visuals, meaning you should attach an image with the text! Also, keep your text short. It is great on a blog if you want to type a document that is 300-500words, but on a social media network like Facebook, that is a big “No No”. Keep it short and sweet! If you decide to write a very long post, chances most viewers will not read it and simply scroll past it as it just takes to much time to read. Be concise, straight forward and to the point. And remember, pictures speak louder than words!

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Tips and tricks

Posting Do’s and Don’ts

In working in the field that I do, it has occurred to me that numerous people, including myself are making the same social media mistakes over and over without even realizing it. So, today I have decide to compile a basic list of do’s and dont’s of social media usage. Here we go!
Do-Get on Social Media! If you are not already on social media sites, get on them, this is the way we are communicating! Start networking on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, pick your poison!

Don’t-Get on these sites without a goal in mind. Ask yourself, before getting on a social media site, what do I want this site to do for me?
What do I want to get out of this site? What to do I hope to gain from this site? Etc.

Do-Research! Figure out what social networking sites cater to needs. Meaning, after you establish your goals research the background of each site. You should be asking your site why does this site exist? Who does this site cater to? What will I gain from being on this site?

Don’t-Overjoin. What I mean here, is do not overwhelm yourself. Start by joining one or two networks and get a great foundation started and be active on these sites. Get your name out there! There is no point in joining 5-6 sites if you are not going to actively participant in them. In this case, keep with the mentality less is more.

Do-Be consistent! While this point is some what repeating my last don’t, I want to stress how important consistency is. There is no point in creating an account if you are never going to post or connect with other individuals. Take home message, be consistent, create a schedule and stick to it. Meaning, I like to stick with a Facebook schedule of posting once daily, Twitter posting three times daily (because this is a microblogging site and the newsfeed moves so fast), Blogging once daily, and posting on Pinterest 3 times a week (MWF).

Don’t-Overpost, if you are annoyingly posting it is likely other individuals will “unlike”/”unfollow” you. Moderation is the key! Stick to being consistent and develop your own social media schedule!

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Random Thoughts

Images as a Source of Nonverbal Cues

I must confess I am super annoyed with other bloggers, theorist, professionals and academics claiming that nonverbal cues are absent in computer-mediated communication, such as social networking sites.
While this may have been true 20 plus years ago when we were first learning to use the internet, this is no longer true! Social networking is packed with nonverbal cues, we just have to stop and notice them. While traditionally nonverbal communication may not pop out at us when communicating via a computer, nonverbal cues are there. When I say this we are constantly sending some sort of nonverbal messages online. For instance the images we choose to send to our friends can be seen as a form of a nonverbal cue, meaning we select these images for a purpose full of intention behind them much of the time without even realizing it. Next, time you select a picture to post, stop and think what message am I actually sending? Do I want others to see me as outgoing? Fun? Energetic? It is true, we can not not communicate, simplistically meaning, like it or not we are always communicating something!