What Big Social Media Mistakes do Businesses Make?

Entrepreneur Magazine's Colleen Debaise curates a digital column that shares thoughts, experiences, and insights from leading authorities on the subject of digital media and marketing. She recently asked, "what's a big social-media mistake that businesses make?"

Colleen assembled some very interesting responses to say the least. The traditional response for her column is usually limited to a few sentences. While I followed the rules, I wanted to share my full response with you here...

What mistakes do businesses make in social media?

There are a couple of mistakes that business owners make that are worthy pointing out…even to those who think they "get it." First is that they ignore social media altogether because either they don't have time to understand its impact or they disregard it. Many often write it off in the name of focusing on other more important or pressing priorities. Or, business owners misinterpret social media as distractions, silly networks and apps that only kids use.

It's all just a passing fad anyway right? Truth be told, this is all eerily similar to the arguments presented by business owners at the dawn of the World Wide Web.

But, there's a Vine for that...

Ignorance + Arrogance = Irrelevance

The second mistake business owners make is that they focus TOO much on technology and not enough on behavior. They jump in all of the hottest social properties because they believe that the world will stop to notice. What's our Vine strategy? Why aren't we killing it on Pinterest yet?

As you and I know, simply showing up and talking is all it takes right? Sure...

The reality is that this type of thinking contributes to a perpetual strategy of shiny object syndrome that's forever doomed to play catch-up. Chasing trends takes your eye off of value and experience. We both know that each contribute to the state of relationships and the benefits that each side takes away in every engagement.

Like the internet, social media, and mobile for that matter, represents a foundation for which to build upon. Social networks, apps, and the social objects, content and conversations that define them are result of technological and behavioral evolution. What really counts is what's behind everything. That's the key to earning relevance...

So, let's stop talking about social media and start talking about how connected customersconnect, learn, share.

Take a moment to learn where they engage and why.

Where do they go?

What questions are they asking?

What answers are they finding in each moment of truth?

Who are their most trusted resources?

What are their expectations?

How can you use social (and mobile) to deliver value and to strengthen your brand promise?

While we're on the subject…what's your brand promise to a new generation of connected consumers?

The future of business takes empathy and that starts with realizing the technology is a means but not an end in of itself. It's a lifestyle. We're either part of it or we're not.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

courtesy of: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130730153747-2293140-what-s-big-social-media-mistakes-do-business-owners-make

Visual PR Secrets: Content Power Tips and Social Publishing Trends

If there was a recipe for social PR news success, it would call for a dash of authentic content, a splash of vibrant color, and a double shot of visual inspiration. Oh, and make sure it's in a mobile-friendly "to go" cup!

Editorialized, Fresh, Newsworthy

We're in the dawn of brand journalism, a time when visual storytelling is paramount for social media success and overall content marketing. The contrived billboard type Facebook posts and robotic Tweets may have been sufficient yesterday but today's top brands are acting more like publishers, staffed with social editors in a newsroom style setting and mobile photographers are bubbling up to the top of the leaderboard. Attracting brand advocates along the way, including the media!

Visual-ology

The science of visuals used effectively to tell a story and draw a reader into a fuller version of content. Adding eye candy to a brand's social PR marketing mixology is part of the success equation according to data scientists such as Dan Zarrella author of the "Science of Marketing". Statistic after statistic show that whether it's a mobile device, app, search result, press release, tweet, update, blog post or publication article, nobody clicks on boring!

Social PR secret: Visuals increase visits, pageviews, engagement, interactions, and conversions.

But when it comes down to it, visuals are just one part of the big picture called content and the drilldown looks at the type of content your followers care most about and how it is presented.

"It's all about your audience – if a visual is relevant and inspires them to take action you have a winner. There's as many ways to do this right as there are different audiences," said Megan Berry Community Manager of RebelMouse.

Will the New Brand Journalist Please Stand Up?

Hello, that means you!

Relating to your audience is key to getting the social word flowing and that means writing and communicating in a way that is appealing and passionate. The best content will only stand out when accompanied by the right visuals, or else your news and message drops from unforgettable to barely memorable.

Hearing Brand Voices

"If all of the press releases or content you produce has the same voice, then it's likely not going to be relatable to your audience. It's not just about writing for journalists anymore, it's about writing to people who have a relevant connection to your brand – the influencers are the most critical and those will include journalists," said Jason Kintzler, PitchEngine CEO and founder.

Milk and Cookies Budgets

While Oreo had a team (and budget) of designers and brand executives on call during the Super Bowl ready to pull off the landmark tweet "You Can Still Dunk in The Dark" the allure of that tactic could be fading as the #RoyalBaby news tweet seems like what was new is now a little "tired" as13 brands newsjacked the special delivery.

But what about the brands that might not have the luxury to have a team of designers and brand executives at bay willing to make a final call on visuals during some of the hottest media centric trending events of the year? How do brands small and large compete when it comes to visuals standing out in the newsfeed in daily life and beyond?

Experts agree that in order to get noticed and win the social newsfeed war, you don't have to break the bank or fall into the cookie cutter stock photography trap. Instead of creating ads that look like editorial content, it's actually the awesome content that is a brands' most compelling and natural advertisement.

Visuals on Demand

As demonstrated in the #RoyalBaby trending news, businesses are challenged with the task of transforming a trending conversation into a brand relevant visual that resonates with an audience in hours instead of days. It might be a radical shift in marketing and communications, but the strategy is available to any size organization.

Today's brands looking to sell their product or service have a level playing field when looking to using imagery or video to convey a message or story. The key is thinking outside the stock photography image box and get creative with user-generated resources, new solutions, platforms and apps are making it easier for visuals to be accessible and creative.

Visual PR Secrets, Tips, Platforms & Trends

1. Embedding short videos and news content with Instagram, Vine, and PitchEngine

Embedding video is at new level of creativity and speed with mobile apps on hand for on the spot reporting for the fast-paced storytelling world in five seconds. That is how long you have to engage visitors on your website, blog or social media newsfeed before 30 percent of them leave and 40 percent of them never return, according to a study, "When Seconds Count" by Equation Research. PitchEngine offers embedded pitches which enables you to share more dynamic content on less sophisticated blog platforms and social streams.

2. Social publishing with visual platform RebelMouse

Creating your own social front page is automagically possible with the RebelMouse social publishing service, that helps users create a dedicated page for all of the curated content they share (or want to share) on social networks in a free version as well as a paid version called Powered Sites.

The company is headed by former Huffington Post CTO and AOL vet Paul Berry who is giving small businesses an affordable interactive alternative for a social and visual homepage design packed with curated content and providing larger with potential profit centers to sell ad space.

Besides the journalistic-style editorial features on RebelMouse that lets users bring in content from social networks and other feeds, blog directly on RebelMouse, move and edit posts, freeze content – brands can power a domain and get added bonus features such as advanced embedding controls, customized design, and MailChimp integration.

For example if you have a domain yourname.com, RebelMouse is one possible solution to power up content in a Google-friendly SEO fashion! Big brands such as GE demonstrate how they choose relevant, interesting content with visual components to put out on social.

Old School Graphics Transitioning to New Media

NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen's board on Pinterest is a perfect example of how high priced designers and production red tape can be replaced by the simplicity of a pen and paper for engaging visuals.

"Making graphics doesn't need to take money. It takes time and love to make something people care about. Writing a stat on a piece of paper costs nothing but if you snap a photo and upload it to social channels you are creating something for your fans to share. Authenticity trumps money," words of data graphic wisdom from Jesse Thomas, founder of Jess3.

"Don't forget about the pen and paper option. Draw something and film it on vine. Draw something and take a photo for Instagram. Software is not always the answer," notes Thomas.

Be Authentic and Avoid Self Serving Visuals

"I can tell more about a brand by looking at their Instagram feed than I can about any marketing message, ad or press release," Kintzler said. "Any brand that is creating content with their 'real' voice is doing it right in my book. You can't just write like a 'newsie' and think people will relate. And remember, journalists are news consumers too."

Visual light bulb! Hey, let's do an infographic!

When it comes to data visuals Thomas notes, "brands 'get' that infographics are popular but they need to make graphics that are not so self serving."

Looks like that infographic idea might require a little more effort for best results.

What's IN?

• Real photos of real things taken by real people "We know that a photo of a Big Mac doesn't look like what you actually get. Trends in images show that people want reality. If you look at Starbucks Facebook page for example, you see fewer pro photos and more photos that look like they were taken with an iphone," said Krista Neher author of "Visual Social Media Marketing".
• It has become popular to create simple square graphics with one to two data points versus the original infographic style of being tall with 10-30 data points.
• You will hear "content marketing" 50-million times this year. What does that mean? I think it should mean this to you: Brands as publishers. PRs as journalists. This is the future of public relations and marketing.
• For a visual snapshot of the social network solar system, check out the 2013 version conversation prism by Brian Solis and Jess3.

What's OUT?

• Tall graphics with type you can't read without zooming in.
• Graphics that are too brand-focused are out.
• Overused and generic stock photography. There is nothing wrong with starting with a stock image, but taking the extra step of adding a CTA, headline, or filter can make the difference between success and failure.
• Text only blog posts, social messages, press releases, and traditional press release wire services.
• Length. Content that's longer than two to three paragraphs
• Anything that feels tacked on as opposed to part of the brand's core voice and message, noted Berry.

"Can you say it in a tweet? Sure you can ¬– get creative and stop being lazy. Your value isn't your ability to write a press release – it's your ability to communicate a message and inspire people," Kintzler said.

Today's content is more visual, social, and sophisticated. As brands compete to lure in new customers with the right pictures, it's time to rethink which images are used and new ways to get visual. The inspiring, passionate, and authentic will survive.

courtesy of : searchenginewatch.com

Setting up Social Media for your Start-up

Making a name and building awareness are some of the most important factors for the success of fledgling companies. But how do you get started in social media and what are the factors that you need to be aware of? We’ve brought you some tips on how to set up your social marketing strategies.

Going Social

Every company is concerned with raising brand awareness, but this is even more relevant for start-ups. Start-up brands can utilize social media to gain new audiences. Not only this, but instituting an effective social marketing plan makes it possible for the Page admin to easily sculpt your brand’s image, resolve any business problems or crises that may arise, provide social customer care, advertise products, and much more!

Tips for your Social Media Strategies

1. Monitor your competitors – be sure to check out what similar companies are doing, how successfully they are doing it, and on what platforms. Some of your competitors have been involved in social since its inception, and have tried-and-true methods of utilizing it. If you have a very small niche business with only one or two clients, you may need to decide if social media is right for you. Our Analytics Pro provides measurement and insight into how your competitors are performing.

2. Understanding post times and content – Once you have decided which platforms are right for you, you need to target your specific audience. You must understand not only which days of the week and times per day are best for engaging your fans, but also the frequency of your posts. Remember, more posts do not always mean higher engagement. Choose quality over quantity, and post content that is relatable and sharable.

3. Be Socially Devoted – providing customer care on social should be a key component of your marketing strategies. That’s why we’ve created an industry standard, called Socially Devoted, in which to benchmark your brand against. It is important to keep an open line of communication between you and your potential fan base so that followers will remain loyal to your brand.

4. Identify your key influencers – identify the users that most frequently interact with your Page’s content and determine which ones to develop relationships with. If they are on board with your business objectives, you can invite them to become “brand advocates.” Brand advocates are encouraged to create positive discussions around your product and to allay negative sentiment that sometimes may arise in user posts.

5. Don’t be afraid to experiment – since the social media world is constantly changing, you must also continuously modify and improve your social media strategies. While creating content, don’t be afraid to experiment. However, make sure to monitor how engaging this newly posted content is, how it affects reach, and whether your target audience identifies with it.

courtesy of www.socialbakers.com

4 social media trends every real estate agent must know

Are you a real estate agent new to social media? Or maybe you’ve been on social media for a while and want to keep up with the industry trends. Here are a few real estate trends that will help you be social media savvy.

Mobile photos

As an agent, you’re always on the go—showing houses, meeting with clients, and searching for the hottest new listings. That’s why mobile is so important for real estate agents today. Mobile helps you share content, listings, articles, and tips over social networks while you’re on the move.

Here’s one great practice: As you arrive at your new home listing, snap a picture using Instagram and post it to your Facebook page so that your connections can see the latest houses on the market. You can also capture stories, share neighborhood information, and other tips while you’re driving through your local area. For the most mileage, post these ideas and pictures when they are relevant and recent instead of waiting until you get back to the office. In addition, Instragram allows you to turn these photos into a postcard that you can send to your clients or use in your marketing materials.

Don’t forget you can also share content and upload pictures to Hearsay Social from your mobile phone by logging in to Hearsay Social from your iPad, iPhone, Android, or other Web-connected device.

Communities

There are many types of communities online that you can join through LinkedIn Groups, Google+ Communities, and Yahoo! Groups. These services allow people to connect to communities who share common interests.

Try joining a community about real estate, creating a community about your local neighborhood, or joining a community that is involved in city event planning. All of these types of communities will help you connect with potential customers and convey you as a credible resource in the industry. Remember: don’t advertise through these communities. Simply answer questions and contribute to the conversation so that your new connections come to you for advice about real estate. Brand yourself as the go-to person.

Networking via Social Media

When you look at your News Feed on Facebook or your homepage on LinkedIn, do you ever look for new life events?

For example, when someone has a baby, gets married, or experiences other significant life moments, many people share that information over social media. The great thing for real estate agents is that it gives you a glimpse into the important things happening in your network so that you can reach out. Chances are high that a new baby, a new spouse, or an upcoming job move could mean the person has to look for a home. Track the feeds on your favorite social networks to find out what major life events are happening and congratulate your contacts so that they remember you’re there to help when they need to move.

Google+ Local

Do you have a physical real estate agency office? If so, the new Google+ Local feature would be great for you. It allows agents like yourself to list your physical office details and collect customer reviews. Since this is all housed within Google+, it allows clients and prospects to be able to find your physical location and listing on the Web through various services, like Google Maps and Google search. Try it out!

reblogged by: nikki van winkle

courtesy of: www.hearsaysocial.com