How to be A Social Media Rock Star!

We can’t deny how powerful Social Media is nowadays. The time consumers spend on Social Media has ballooned to 250% in just two years! That’s primarily the reason why every marketer wants to get into the ball game.

To rock it on three, four or five Social Media channels, you have to be at least a practiced Social Media individual. But don’t fret, we have bumped into this great article on how to Rock it on Social Media. Here are some tips we’ve gathered on “101 Companies Rocking it on Social Media” published by Hubspot which is written and designed By Desmond Wong.

According to PWC, 60% of consumers use social media to follow, discover, and give feedback on brands and retailers. Use these examples of companies rocking social media to find out what works best for your own company, and be the social business these consumers are following. Good luck!

ROCKING IT ON FACEBOOK

·          

    Aside from having great engagement, a page should do a wonderful job featuring its new products and businesses

·         Engage your fans with interesting questions and visual content that link to relevant products on your website

·         You should have customized profile images and cover photos

·         Post links to its APIs and other helpful services that fans can utilize

·         Share a variety of links and create discussion topics that draw in fans. Post statuses and links in a variety of languages to engage fans from around the world

·         Including your website in the cover photo is an effective way to draw some attention to your site and bring in some traffic. Describe exactly what the organization does in the first part of the screen.

·         Aside from the creative cover image, you can include fun games and photos

·         Models, fancy clothes, and fashion shows. Pack your Facebook page with great photos of your new collections and videos to keep your fans up-to date with the latest in fashion

ROCKING IT ON TWITTER

  

·          

    Do a great job at keeping up with replies, retweets, and hash-tagging. Use a nice set of images on your Twitter background that focuses on your latest product

·         Share a variety of quotes, articles, and media that your followers can easily consume and share

·         Post often and interact well with your followers.

·         Include links in almost every single tweet you send. This will always give followers something to engage on

·         Focus well on including links, tagging other users, and relying on hashtags

·         Feature images and videos of your products

·         Actively retweeting, mentioning, and sharing helpful links and tweets

·         Use your Twitter feed to provide your followers with an assortment of helpful articles, ebooks, links, and quotes that are easily shared and consumed

·         Keeping your followers interested is the key to maintaining a strong social network. Post helpful articles and links related to your product that followers can eat up.

ROCKING IT ON PINTEREST

·         Create a variety of great boards in an assortment of colors and are visually appealing to your followers. With Pinterest being very heavy on visual content, it helps to have a set of pleasantly colored images and products to feature

·         Pin board for almost everything you might want. Provide your followers with a number of interesting categories to keep them pinning

·         Create boards full of educational content. Use interesting games, facts, and information for knowledge hungry followers

·         Have a board just for the team. It’s a great way to put some faces to the company

·         Humor always does well on Pinterest. Create humor focused pin boards for everyone’s enjoyment

·         Have a broad selection of pin boards about design, style, food, and even cuteness

ROCKING IT ON LINKEDIN

·           

    A big focus of companies using LinkedIn is to use it as a recruiting tool.

·         Keep the public informed on new products, events, and updates about your products

·         Keep your profile up-to date. Feature helpful articles and news about your current products

·         Keep relevant and interesting articles in your LinkedIn company stream

·         Use clean and attractive cover image. Aside from that, use recent updates that includes online education and other helpful articles

·         Utilize employee spotlights or highlight career opportunities within the company. Feature a Friday Trivia question to keep your followers on their toes

ROCKING IT ON GOOGLE+

·         Focus on posting an assortment of visual content targeted at building product awareness. Consistently promote your latest products

·         Keep your circles entertained with images, videos, and interesting articles about the company

·         Do an amazing job on engaging with your fan base

·         Showcase the latest fashion trends and deals. Cover everything from fashion week to street fashion

·         Post images that show the value of your product rather than tell it. Use images that will show off the ease-of-use and optimized capabilities of your product

·         Use your Google + account to share with your circles the newest products coming off its production lines. Share images, videos, and articles about anything and everything about your company

Ella Ritalei Panganiban

Marketing Executive 
Drive Social Media

Boost Your Business Through Social Media

Gone are the days of sky high advertisement costs. Nowadays, businesses, big or small, can turn to social media for not only a cost-effective advertisement but direct interaction with the almost-24hr-present-on-social-media-networks consumers. 

The power of social media is beyond anyone's imagination. With social media, the only people left to wonder of your existence are those without internet and computer access, which is, roughly a small percent of the earth's population.

What's good about this new medium, aside from being cost-effective, is its power to make your business visible in practically any part of the world, making your presence boundary-less. Unfettered by your physical location, your market will surely soar a thousand fold due to your international online existence. 

Think about endless possibilities, faster dissemination, a worldwide market. The list goes on if you know how to connect and bring your business to the eyes of the social media-dependent population. Your employees, which are included in this population, from the janitors to the management team, should be trained and encouraged to use this media for the faster and wider coverage of your business and not banned from using them, which is what is happening right now. 

To prosper, businesses must go with the trend, with the social flow. Use your employees' insatiable hunger for online socialization in the promotion of your product, your business. No man is an island, that's what they say. We need help and we need to address that need, for our business gain. Changing your whole perspective in the use of social media in the workplace, thinking of it as an asset rather than a liability, will surely put you on top of the game.

Whether we'd like to admit it or not, there's a huge difference when people see your active presence on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and the likes. Use that difference to your advantage. 

In these times, who needs a 30-second TV ad when you can flash your coolness to everyone online? From kids to the tech-savvy grannies, your product will no longer just be a local or a state craze, rather, a trending, instagrammable, and pinterest-worthy topic on the internet and beyond.

Which social medium do you think will work best to promote your business? Take your pick, there's a lot of fish in the water.

 Ella Ritalei Panganiban

 Marketing Executive 
 Drive Social Media

Enchanting - minus the fairy tale... (Part 2)

This is a continuation from our previous post, Enchanting - minus the fairy tale part 1 - an overview of Guy Kawasaki's tips on how to be enchanting with social media.

His sixth tip on how to enchant people is to always be disclosing. Be transparent in everything you do. Let everyone know who you work for and your partners are and those you advise. A lot of people may think that this will eventually reduce people's interest in those brands/organizations but Guy thinks otherwise. He says that the logic behind this is that your followers will be even more interested in the brands or companies that you mention because you have mentioned them. It would make them wonder why you've mentioned or complimented them and if they see that you work for that particular company, they will become even more interested to find out why you have mentioned your thoughts. This will therefore create more interest from your followers, making you successfully able to enchant your followers.

On Twitter, Guy says that you must always remember to repeat the good stuff! Tweets sent only once might not be seen by people living in different time zones. For example, if you live in the Philippines, then the US is almost half a day behind from your time zone. This is his seventh tip - repeat your tweets about 5 times a day to ensure that everyone around the world will get to read them. Kawasaki does mention that it might irritate a few of your followers since they would come across the same tweet more than once, but that would only mean that they spend way too much of their time on Twitter.

His eighth tip to be enchanting is to remember to be subtle. You need to earn the right to promote your content. If you have created it - then you have the right to keep repeating it :)

"Twitter is a link economy", says Guy as he describes his ninth tip, which is to always be linking when you tweet - this helps create interest. Now the question is, where do you get content for the links? Guy answers this too by recommending a few websites of his choice:

• Stumbleupon.com
• Smartbrief.com
• Alltop.com 

These three websites are only some of the many good sources for good information for your Twitter 'linking' needs.

His tenth tip is also directed towards Twitter and he says that you must always be monitoring. Pay attention to what your competitors say about you, and what your fans and followers say about you as well. For Macintosh users, he recommends Hibari - a simple yet effective application that blocks unwanted tweets and filters your friends tweets so you can see only what you wish to see.

As Guy describes Twitter to be a link economy, he describes Facebook to be a picture economy. His eleventh tip is if you want to enchant people on Facebook, you must always be taking pictures and sharing them. Don't forget to be cropping your images though, so the unimportant or irrelevant parts of the image are separated from what's important in the picture.

His last tip that concludes his daily dozen for enchanting people is to always be commenting on Facebook. Thank people who have liked your posts and ask them questions; welcome people who have given you thanks.

Do YOU agree with Guy's tips on how to enchant people?

Let us know in the comment box below if you have any questions or suggestions as well ;)

Ayna Gonzales
Marketing Executive
Drive Social Media

Enchanting - minus the fairy tale... (Part 1)

Guy Kawasaki, the author of Enchantment, gives us a few tips on how to enchant people with social media.
 
He says that there are three pillars to observe when engaging with social media and the first of which is to always be a likable, friendly, positive person when talking to your audience. As in the real world, you would pay more attention, or in his terms, be more enchanted by a person you actually like.

Being likable involves an appropriate smile, something like a duchenne smile, as Guy describes it. Another thing that could make you seem more likable is to dress appropriately. Everyone likes looking and talking to people who are smiling and well dressed.
 
The second pillar is to be trustworthy. Show people you can be trusted by showing them that you trust them, and they will in turn, trust you back. A company that Guy mentions here is Zappos, an online retail company that pays for shipping fees for their merchandise, both ways! By having this unique policy, they have earned the trust of many as when their shoppers are dissatisfied with their products, they can simply send it back for free.
 
The third pillar is for all your products and services to have the DICEE characteristics; which stand for: deep, intelligent, complete, empowering, and elegant. To greater emphasize this, let's take a look at Macintosh. As compared to Windows OS, Macs bring out the creativity in someone and don't hinder their thinking with complex applications and tools; in other words, an example of a deep, empowering brand.
 
Another example is the Ford Mustang; it is described intelligent and complete because of their special 'key' features. Certain keys specifically designed for the youth so that the car can only accelerate up to a certain speed that the parent sets for it.
 
Once you have established these three pillars, then you can start taking note of the other key points for enchanting an audience using social media. They are as follows:
 
You should always be answering, especially on Twitter. This is the fourth tip to pay attention to when engaging with social media; it is one of the easiest ways to enchant people. Make sure to reply to everyone, whether that somebody is a nobody or Brad Pitt. Remember that the 'nobodies' of yesterday are today's somebodies! Replies ensure that you pay attention to your followers/fans and make them like/trust you :) The fifth tip that Guy mentions is to always remember to say thank you. Growing up, our parents always reminded us of the simple, yet very powerful act of thanks; the same goes in the lines of social media. A simple thank you to everyone who praises you will definitely go a long way.
 
Are we at Drive Social Media enchanting? We would love to know!
 
More soon :-)

Ayna Gonzales

Marketing Executive
Drive Social Media

The Final Steps

This is the fourth and final series of posts on business blogging initiated by the blog post:
‘Don’t make your blog a slog!’

The previous blog post shows you how to create your own blog and how to add content to it, but the next question is… How do you attract followers to your blog? You want people to read your posts, but how would you do this?

Always remember that people will be interested to follow you, if they find you interesting.

Writing insightful articles will help people understand what you, or your brand is about, and will keep reading to learn more about it.

Add other blogs from your niche - follow other blogs that you find interesting, and they will hopefully follow you back. Engage with your followers; converse with them so they can get to know you better. You could also refer to other similar blogs in your blog posts, and then comment on their blogs to inform them that you've mentioned them in your post.

RSS feeds, like Google Reader or Outlook, are also very powerful tools you can use to help you generate followers for your blog. RSS feeds (also known as Really Simple Syndication feeds) help you keep track of other blogs and let you know when they've posted new content, so you can easily read them and comment on their posts.

So are there any other ways of letting people know about my blog?

Social Media Sites are also very useful when you want to attract followers. For example, you could let your followers on Twitter know that you've posted a new blog post and encourage them to follow your blog after visiting it.

Use Linked In to update your friends and colleagues there about your blog posts. Don't forget to direct them to your blog by adding the URL in your update as well. Linked In has a lot of groups; join the ones that are in your field of interest and inform them about your blog.

Facebook is also very useful as you can post on people's walls and kindly ask them to share your update with their friends whom they think will be interested in your blog. If you have a Facebook Page, you could post the same message you posted on Twitter and Linked In to keep your fans updated on your blog.

NetworkedBlogs is an application for Facebook that when added to your blog and Facebook page, will automatically pull through your blog feed and post it on your wall. You will have a separate list of followers for NetworkBlogs too.

Another website that's useful for generating followers for your blog is Technorati - one of the most famous search engines for blogs and blog posts. Find and follow similar blogs and promote yours there too.

What are the business benefits of blogging?

Blogging certainly increases your credibility and lets everyone read about your passion and what you're all about. Over time, with an increasing number of followers, people will trust you more and this in turn, leads to an increase in sales for your business.

All your posts will always be available in your archives, so even new users, or new visitors to your blog will be able to go back to those posts to read about you.

Using social media sites correctly will ensure that people will be able to see your blog on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn.. etc. Good brand awareness leads to trust from your target audience and customers.

Any widgets that can help?

Google Friend Connect, LinkedinABox, My Blog Log, Feedburner and Shout List Icons are great widgets to add to your blog to make it easier for your readers to connect with you, so make sure to add a few.

If you have any questions, please feel free to let us know :)

Ayna Gonzales
Marketing Executive
Drive Social Media

Oil and Water by John McGrann

Oil and water don’t mix – neither do internet marketing and social media marketing. The former is an online version of a market trader selling direct and energetically; the latter an extension of word of mouth marketing. It’s not a question of which is more effective marketing. Both can be very effective. It’s a matter of realising that the two don’t mix easily. If at all...

Social media marketers (SMMs) leverage the relationships built on sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for business. All other forms of internet based marketing can be ascribed to Internet Marketers (IMs) including these examples:

• Display advertising

• E-mail marketing

• Interactive advertising

• Cost per impression

• Affiliate marketing

• Cost per action

• Search engine marketing

• Search engine optimization

• Paid inclusion

• Mobile advertising

So what are the differences between IMs and SMMs?

SMMs market their own limited products / services, or as an agency on the behalf of the client. It is a long term commitment and client relationship. IMs will market any products/services which can be monetized and the life of the relationship can be very short. Certain IM schemes allow for IMs to act as agents without ever meeting the client. It’s cold and clinical.

The premise for SMMs success is that of ‘word of mouth marketing’ and relationship building. We like to do business with those we know, we like and we trust. IMs success is down to identifying and exploiting internet based marketing schemes and systems. The requirement is to be sharp, on top of it, and very active using the right systems and tools. There are lots of ‘secrets’.

SMMs will clearly identify a target audience for their products / services and seek out their targets on social media sites. IMs may have many targeted audiences which change often. For them it’s a numbers game. Blast away at the numbers and a percentage will engage them.

SMMs need to be subtle, develop relationships and trust. They are highly visible on social media sites offering lots of added value to prospective customers. It is expected and free. IMs have no such requirement.

In social media, one to one conversations are very important. Emails sent to prospects would be minimal. Sales pitches to prospects would only be allowable after a certain maturity of the relationship, or at the bequest of the prospect. IMs think little of blasting emails on a daily basis to those on their ‘list.’ The ‘list’ is the basis for success. Such emails will be very repetitive and are a form of spamming. The IM would counter that the prospect has subscribed previously. The IM would claim that a prospect needs to view the same information a number of times to make that decision to buy.

The internet is littered with many examples of ‘get rich quick’ schemes which are often nothing more than scams. Many successful IMs will have built up enough intelligence to know the scams and avoid them. Others are less fortunate. Such scams give IM a bad name. There are no ‘get rich schemes’ for SMMs. It’s a long road adding value and building trust – there are no shortcuts.

The successful IM will offer his / her skills and ‘secrets’ as a paid mentor to those seeking large ‘passive’ incomes. Opportunities are in high demand and you need to ‘get signed up quickly – now in fact!’ Successful SMMs are expected to share content and ideas, help others along the way. It is giving with the expectation that rewards will come later.

Social media marketers are social and extend good networking practices to the internet. Internet marketers will go for the jugular, wear down their target if necessary – it’s a numbers game! It’s exciting and fun! It’s not very social...

I am not advocating the IM or the SMM position here. I am merely giving you a few guidelines on identifying the traits of both and their method of operation. Either can be successful and satisfying. It depends on what suits you or your brand. Beware of mixing them!

Two sides of the same coin

Is social media networking in conflict with, or complementary to, traditional networking?

The reason I ask is because I have recently joined a formal networking group here in Dubai. I am noting many similarities and some differences with the basics of social media networking. I also sense that generally there is a belief that you engage in one or the other. It’s the ‘old’ versus the ‘new’. But maybe in the future the best way is to engage neither social media networking nor traditional networking alone - but in ‘total networking’.

Social media networking and marketing is the process of promoting your website or business through social media channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and many more. It is a powerful strategy that will bring you connections, attention and increased amounts of website traffic and ultimately leads for your products or services. It is powerful in building business partnerships locally and globally. Social media networkers need to have a systematic approach to building a large network and targeting their niche audience within it. It includes selecting the best media sites, establishing a presence, growing your virtual network and nurturing relationships. If all that works then keep those plates spinning!

Traditional networking involves formally structured groups meeting on a regular basis with well proven successful processes in place. Most activities take place within the group or chapter. However, connections can be made to other chapters within a reasonable distance. Other members of the group will act as your salesperson generating referrals and new business. Membership is paid annually but should be recouped early.

Both forms of networking generate new connections and new business. They are both based on the premise that we wish to do business with people we know, we like and we trust. They each have a softly, softly approach to engaging connections in our sales process. Strategies are long term and hard sellers and spammers are not welcome.

There are differences of course. Social media sites are free and accessed from the comfort of your home or office. Building networks and targeting audiences is much easier via social media sites. This applies to customers and business partnerships alike. Joining relevant customer conversations, sharing knowledge and getting help is also much easier online. But traditional face-to-face networking is so powerful and nurturing relationships online is THE serious weakness of social networking. The proven structures and processes in traditional networking yield great results too. Social media prospecting without a system can be time wasteful and frustrating.

The way ahead is to engage in both forms as total networking. Using the strengths of each to address the weaknesses of the other seems the way to go. Add some enablers such as Instant Messaging and Online Meeting software to the mix too. So which form of networking is the best? I don’t know - nor do I care.

They are two sides of the same coin

John McGrann

CEO Drive Social Media