Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Successful Social Media Strategists & what you can learn

Business-to-consumer communication has been revolutionized with the advent of social media in the last decade. With nearly 80 percent of corporations now incorporating social media into their marketing and communication mix, the role of a social strategist is becoming more and more standard as a needed and respected part of the team. Mashable recently published an awesome infographic about what it takes to be a social strategist. Even if you have no desire to make social media your 9-to-5, what are some things you can learn from the social media managers and other social media professionals surveyed?

The characteristics identified as making these strategists successful at their jobs were, in order:

  • “I’m multi-disciplinary and can wear many hats.” (58%)
  • “I’m willing to take risks.” (46%)
  • “I can rally different stakeholders across the organization.” (45%)
  • “I can effectively lead a multi-faceted, cross-departmental effort.” (38%)
  • “I have experience in social media.” (37%)
  • “I have a long-term customer-centric vision for the program.” (24%)
  • “I can communicate the ROI to executive leadership.” (16%)
  • “I have been working at my company many years.” (13%)

What stands out in these numbers to me is that the key to success for these strategists has less to do with ROI or long-term plans and more to do with the ability to innovate – whether that be juggling disparate responsibilities and trying new things without the fear of failure.

I’m convinced that the connection between the two isn’t coincidental, either. Those who are able to take on a myriad of responsibilities – from creating content to coming up with strategies, analyzing metrics and adapting accordingly, spearheading campaigns, and evangelizing social media to stakeholders – are likely to manage participation in a myriad of media as well. They know how to work with varied audiences through varied channels, connecting consumers with companies adeptly, and they also know how to translate the benefits of social media into terms executives can appreciate and get behind, regardless of the executives’ familiarity with social media themselves.

Proactive social media professionals are those who are able to change and evolve along with the new shifts that come in technology. They are the ones who remain on the bleeding edge of new technologies, adopting them early and then advocating experimentation with them. These forward thinkers use the new media intuitively and find ways to extract the maximum ROI from the tools (remembering that ROI in social media is less about sales conversions and more about building relationships and brand loyalty).

Likewise, to get the most out of social media, businesses need to be willing to try new things – and to try lots of different things as well. The benefit of social media is that most of the tools are free. Not having to invest much overhead to dabble in different platforms leaves businesses wide open to experiment with new initiatives and see what resonates with their customers. Be willing to adapt to and adopt new technologies and integrate them into different parts of the business cycle – from marketing and sales to customer service – and you’ll be sure to find what works best for your particular business niche.


Successful Social Media Strategists & what you can learn

Business-to-consumer communication has been revolutionized with the advent of social media in the last decade. With nearly 80 percent of corporations now incorporating social media into their marketing and communication mix, the role of a social strategist is becoming more and more standard as a needed and respected part of the team. Mashable recently published an awesome infographic about what it takes to be a social strategist. Even if you have no desire to make social media your 9-to-5, what are some things you can learn from the social media managers and other social media professionals surveyed?

The characteristics identified as making these strategists successful at their jobs were, in order:

  • “I’m multi-disciplinary and can wear many hats.” (58%)
  • “I’m willing to take risks.” (46%)
  • “I can rally different stakeholders across the organization.” (45%)
  • “I can effectively lead a multi-faceted, cross-departmental effort.” (38%)
  • “I have experience in social media.” (37%)
  • “I have a long-term customer-centric vision for the program.” (24%)
  • “I can communicate the ROI to executive leadership.” (16%)
  • “I have been working at my company many years.” (13%)

What stands out in these numbers to me is that the key to success for these strategists has less to do with ROI or long-term plans and more to do with the ability to innovate – whether that be juggling disparate responsibilities and trying new things without the fear of failure.

I’m convinced that the connection between the two isn’t coincidental, either. Those who are able to take on a myriad of responsibilities – from creating content to coming up with strategies, analyzing metrics and adapting accordingly, spearheading campaigns, and evangelizing social media to stakeholders – are likely to manage participation in a myriad of media as well. They know how to work with varied audiences through varied channels, connecting consumers with companies adeptly, and they also know how to translate the benefits of social media into terms executives can appreciate and get behind, regardless of the executives’ familiarity with social media themselves.

Proactive social media professionals are those who are able to change and evolve along with the new shifts that come in technology. They are the ones who remain on the bleeding edge of new technologies, adopting them early and then advocating experimentation with them. These forward thinkers use the new media intuitively and find ways to extract the maximum ROI from the tools (remembering that ROI in social media is less about sales conversions and more about building relationships and brand loyalty).

Likewise, to get the most out of social media, businesses need to be willing to try new things – and to try lots of different things as well. The benefit of social media is that most of the tools are free. Not having to invest much overhead to dabble in different platforms leaves businesses wide open to experiment with new initiatives and see what resonates with their customers. Be willing to adapt to and adopt new technologies and integrate them into different parts of the business cycle – from marketing and sales to customer service – and you’ll be sure to find what works best for your particular business niche.


Reasons to Tweet

At its heart, Twitter is like attending a cocktail party – albeit one on the global scale with a seemingly endless capacity for attendees. However, most people who haven’t engaged with the medium are at a loss for why Twitter matters. I can’t tell you how many contacts – ranging from hip 20-somethings to Baby Boomers and beyond – have remarked “I don’t ‘get’ Twitter.” If you find yourself trying to explain the benefits of Twitter to Twitterphobes, you may want to explain the reasons why tweeting is worthwhile. Here are a few talking points for starters:
  • Direct communication – Back in the day, individuals did business with other individuals. They shopped in the town where they lived, and they personally knew the shopkeepers. As business has become global, we’ve gotten away from that personal touch. Twitter, however, opens the door for businesses and consumers to interact directly again. One survey showed that customers choose Twitter as the medium for interacting with customers specifically because they receive answers and are treated like individuals.
  • Personality – Twitter presents a great opportunity for creating awareness about your brand, product, or service. The less formal nature of Twitter lends itself to showing off a company’s personality through trivia and factoids, contests, and other messages that bring a face and personality to the brand.
  • Cross-promotion – Through Twitter, you can link to any online item, from industry news and company-specific news to YouTube videos and product reviews. It’s a wonderful way to gather a myriad of information into one place and share it with your self-selected audience.
  • Gathering information – Not only is Twitter an effective means of communicating to your audience and telling your story – it’s also a great way to gather information through a variety of sources. You can build lists that group people you’re following into one feed based on your labeling. You can also search all of Twitter via search.twitter.com to find out what people are saying about your company or competitors. Hashtags are a quick and easy way to see what people are saying about a specific topic or trend.

Of course, the most important takeaway to leave with Twitter newbies is to not get sidetracked by the medium. Yes, Twitter is a hip social media tool, but it’s merely that – a tool. Tools are merely instruments that are specialized to aid in the accomplishment of a task or goal, and in this case, that task is communicating effectively. By making the message the focus – not the method – you’ll be able to jump into the Twitter fray in a meaningful way.

A GREAT TOOL FOR YOUR TWITTER: http://www.tweetadder.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=20176

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“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.” - Arthur Rubinstein

Monday, July 29, 2013

“High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation. -Jack Kinder
“Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t want plastered on a billboard with your face on it.” - Erin Bury
Can social media change your life? 6 stories of life-altering connections via @TheNextWeb http://tnw.co/qb79zg
“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.” – Unknown
"There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love." - Martin Luther King, Jr
“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” - Seth Godin