Another benefit to your business or organization is the concept of a hashtag (represented by #____). Using a hashtag in a tweet will put your tweet on a twitter feed (a.k.a. list of tweets) sharing the same hashtag. For example: “I’m trying to take my #dog to a #dogpark. Where can I find a good one in #Sacramento?” is a tweet that will show up in the #dog feed, #dogpark feed and #Sacramento feed. Someone is more likely to see it and help answer this Tweeter’s question quickly. This Tweeter may even gain followers who have the same question or common interests, like owning a dog in Sacramento. Hashtags are very simple, and it’s recommended to start one to help brand your company. However, be wary: don’t just flood your tweets with hashtags. It is only recommended to have, at most, 3 hashtags per tweet. Flooding is frowned upon in the Twitter community and can lead to a loss of followers.

In reality, this is only scratching the surface of the vast Twitterverse. Remember: Twitter is about quality NOT quantity. Twenty random posts per day is not as great as one or two posts per day about a specific topic. Tweeps (a.k.a. Twitter “friends”) follow you because they wanted to know more about your company and your topic. Less is more, and if you have a lot to say, there’s always a way to link your larger posts from other websites (like this blog, for example) to one of your tweets… but we can save that lesson for Twitter 202.

SMS messages (or text messages) on regular cell phones are limited to 140-characters before “spilling over” into a second text message. Part of Twitter’s early success was based on the fact that any cell phone user could text a command to Twitter’s special number, “40404,” and control their personal Twitter feed. From a cell phone, a Tweep (User of Twitter) can: tweet, follow another user, block another user & Retweet (“RT”) someone else’s Tweet.

A user can also handpick which Tweeps are privileged enough to have all of their updates sent to his or her phone. So, if your company or organization Tweets quality information that other Tweeps want to know about, you may just end up with a few Tweeps who are text message subscribers.

Stay tuned as we will have a Twitter 101 for the month of June. Here’s to good Tweeting from the company that Always “Tweets” You Right!

LinkedIn can be used for personal use or professional use and they often overlap in the way they are used. First I will talk about how LinkedIn can play a vital role in your personal life and next I will address the company side to it.

LinkedIn is a social media website primarily used to network you. LinkedIn users are utilizing this resource to sell themselves to companies. LinkedIn offers access to upload resumes onto one’s LinkedIn page. One can also type a summary about themselves; this makes their LinkedIn page personal and allows the person to talk about themselves in their own words. Also, LinkedIn allows one to search, follow, and connect with companies and colleagues. LinkedIn has made the interview process a lot easier for candidates and companies alike.

For companies, LinkedIn is utilized as an information site, making it easier for candidates to learn about the company and research contact information. When a candidate uploads a resume, the company can easily access the information and evaluate the candidate for a either a current position, or connect with the person to work with him/her in the future. The recommendation tab is a key to companies. By using these two resources, employers can go to a candidate’s page and see their previous experience and qualifications. Companies can search for candidates and post job openings and positions available on LinkedIn. This makes the interviewing process easier for the employer since they can determine if the candidate is qualified for the position.

LinkedIn is speeding up the way people and companies handle networking and looking for jobs. In this economy, it is important to sell yourself and make a good first impression. LinkedIn has made it easier for people to connect with colleagues and potential employers. It has helped the way people do business and continues to impact the industry.

I use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to get more involved with companies and to follow my friends. Today’s technology is rapidly advancing and it is harder to manage my life and keep in touch with companies and friends. Facebook helps me engage in conversation with my friends by posting on walls, commenting on pictures, and updating my status. Twitter keeps me knowledgeable about the latest companies’ news and my friends’ daily outings. YouTube helps time fly when watching videos that capture the mind of millions, it helps build brands and promote individuals. Social media is a tool to manage your time and life. While social media networks serve their own niches, many companies and individuals use them to drive traffic to their website, so we recommend remembering that it is your website that sells you and shows you off to the world, so make it a good show when visitors arrive.

Did you find this helpful? Feel free to share with your friends and fellow business owners.

Feel free to leave a comment or contact us if you have any other questions.

Managing Social Media Channels. Did you ever wish you could be in more than one place at the same time?  As far as I know science has yet to master that phenomenon; however your “voice” CAN, and should be in more than one place at the same time.  Centralized campaign management systems (i.e., HootSuite and TweetDeck) enable a manager to listen, aggregate, publish, and manage multiple social media distribution channels all from a single portal.

The Consumer. Remember that by making your customers cheerleaders for your brand, you create a win-win situation. Bonus!  Social media extends an indispensable tool for gauging audience opinion by way of a two-way conversation in which both sides (customer and company) can exchange views.   Business Intelligence (BI) refers to the gathering, storing, and analyzing of data to help business users make more informed and therefore more advantageous decisions.  In an article published in 2006 (“Social Network Analysis and Business Intelligence”), Dr. Ramon Barquin, president of a consulting firm since 1994, wrote, “Stay tuned, social network analysis and business intelligence travel in lockstep these days.”  Now five years later we enter 2011, and there is little doubt that his words held up.

Networking With Influencers is 100% simpler today than was before.“Influencers” can be journalists, reporters, bloggers, or anyone of influence who covers topics in your industry.  By establishing relationships with these influential people you may find that you’ve snagged your business a mention and maybe even a feature story.  MuckRack.com is a free website that enables you to search for and locate journalists.

Sharability is a must!  By creating something interesting that grabs your audience’s attention people will naturally want to share it with their friends, and even comment or blog about it (further increasing your exposure).  To help them out, each social media site has its own share buttons (i.e., Facebook’s “Share” and Twitter’s “ReTweet”).

Multimedia, such as mobile marketing, photo, video, and file sharing, can work within the social media arena to spread the word and help build brand awareness. Check out Windows Movie Maker, or iMovie for Mac users, and note that by publishing videos or photos somewhere on your own website and then linking them in your press release, you’ll drive traffic to your website (the centralized hub for your business).

Consumers “Pull” Themselves to Your Media Message. More and more today we see a shift in the way society accepts and digests brand messages.  It’s becoming commonplace for consumers to “pull” media messages in their direction (i.e., RSS Feeds and Google Alerts).  As a voluntary recipient of your brand message, this type of consumer is ultimately more responsive.

As you can see there are various ways to increase your public awareness. Public Relations is a vital part of any business, big or small. Your company is only as good as its word of mouth, so share it with the world and get your company social today. If you need help with your online presence contact the staff at Social Media Platform and they’d be more than happy to help. You can contact them at http://smp4you.com, http://facebook.com/smp4you or http://twitter.com/smp4you.

The traditional press release is evolving and although print media still has its place, social media is taking center stage.  The major difference between a traditional press release and a press release embraced by social media outlets is the exceptional capability social media has as a viral marketing tool.   It only takes the click of a mouse and your message can spread like lightning from one person to another.  Consumers have always shared with friends, family, neighbors, and the like — the good the bad, and the ugly about a brand.  Social media has simply created a premier platform to spread the word.  Having a presence for your business on popular social media networks such as Facebook is becoming increasingly compulsory.  The relatively new phenomenon offers word-of-mouth marketing on steroids.  Think smart!  Create a win-win situation by making your customers cheerleaders for your brand.  They’re truly the best sales agents a company could ask for.

social media and pr

The Value Social Media Brings to PR?

• Easily distribute through various channels
• Embrace the power of the consumer
• Get the conversation going! (2-way communication)
• Grab the attention of journalists and/or bloggers (they may write about your company’s story)
• Sharability (use a “Share” widget and allow readers to post/share information at lightning speed)
• Multimedia capabilities (i.e., YouTube videos, surveys, links, etc.)
• Ability to build inbound links and backlinks
• Pull PR makes it easy – the media and your intended audience target themselves for you!  They find and pull themselves to your news (i.e., RSS feeds).

We realize that not every business decision can be submitted to all your supporters for their approval, but I think this example illustrates the value of listening to their opinions nevertheless.

2 October blog post ideas Inbox X work X Reply | Melinda Jones Here are two ideas for October blog posts, the first one of more immediate re… Oct 13 (2 days ago) Melinda JonesLoading… Oct 13 (2 days ago) Melinda Jones to Sonja show details Oct 13 (2 days ago) Here are two ideas for October blog posts, the first one of more immediate relevance, and the second one could be used at any time. Let me know what you think.     *jumping on checking on all those SMP accounts now…* — Social Media’s Immediate Feedback Saves the Gap Okay, “saves” may not be the right word, but thanks to social media, the Gap realized very quickly how dissatisfied fans and consumers were with their recent logo change. One such story regarding this week’s gaffe can be read at http://mashable.com/2010/10/11/gap-logo/. Kudos to the Gap for listening to their followers and reverting to the former, well-loved logo. We realize that not every business decision can be submitted to all your supporters for their approval, but I think this example illustrates the value of listening to their opinions nevertheless. — What One Thing Do People Associate With Your Business? It may not be what you think, such as your main product or service. It might be something seemingly insignificant to you, but particularly memorable for them. It may not be as simplistic or as silly as associations children may have with a place (e.g. “the red store” or the bank where “the nice lady gives out candy”). However, remember each interaction a consumer or prospective client has with your business, whether it be in person or online through social media, can have a direct impact. Your business may stand out from others simply because your tweets or Facebook updates feed them valuable tips or make them laugh. Your business might stand out in their minds from your competitors if you went above and beyond your normal business routine to give them exceptional service or follow up to see how they are doing some time after the sale. The good news is, through social media, you can tailor your message daily to help sculpt the positive experiences and interactions with your customers and seek their nearly immediate feedback as well. — Reply Forward Reply | Sonja Dyess to me show details Oct 13 (2 days ago) I saw that about the GAP and was thinking the same thing!!! These are both good. Go with it. Don’t forget to fill out the tag section and categories when posting on the blog. Make sure you did those with the other postings you have done. J Great job as usual!!! Sonja Dyess “I’ll Tweet You Right” Social Media Platform 904.429.7519 www.smp4you.com www.facebook.com/smp4you www.twitter.com/smp4you From: Melinda Jones [mailto:melindaj7@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 1:07 PM To: Sonja Dyess Subject: 2 October blog post ideas - Show quoted text -   Here are two ideas for October blog posts, the first one of more immediate relevance, and the second one could be used at any time. Let me know what you think.     *jumping on checking on all those SMP accounts now…* — Social Media’s Immediate Feedback Saves the Gap Okay, “saves” may not be the right word, but thanks to social media, the Gap realized very quickly how dissatisfied fans and consumers were with their recent logo change. One such story regarding this week’s gaffe can be read at http://mashable.com/2010/10/11/gap-logo/. Kudos to the Gap for listening to their followers and reverting to the former, well-loved logo. We realize that not every business decision can be submitted to all your supporters for their approval, but I think this example illustrates the value of listening to their opinions nevertheless. — What One Thing Do People Associate With Your Business? It may not be what you think, such as your main product or service. It might be something seemingly insignificant to you, but particularly memorable for them. It may not be as simplistic or as silly as associations children may have with a place (e.g. “the red store” or the bank where “the nice lady gives out candy”). However, remember each interaction a consumer or prospective client has with your business, whether it be in person or online through social media, can have a direct impact. Your business may stand out from others simply because your tweets or Facebook updates feed them valuable tips or make them laugh. Your business might stand out in their minds from your competitors if you went above and beyond your normal business routine to give them exceptional service or follow up to see how they are doing some time after the sale. The good news is, through social media, you can tailor your message daily to help sculpt the positive experiences and interactions with your customers and seek their nearly immediate feedback as well. — Reply Forward

What do you think? Should they have spelled out “WiFi while you wait” (which easily falls into the common billboard advertising guideline of keeping your message to seven words or less), or are they “keeping with the times” by using such abbreviations? Is this a good way to make their business memorable? It certainly got my attention. Let us know what you think – would you use “text speak” to garner attention in your more conventional marketing methods, e.g. print, billboards, outdoor marquees, etc.?

Several years ago, an expectant mother about to have her first child was asking friends, family, and her midwife about recommendations for a pediatrician. One name popped up several times for a variety of sound reasons. In her prepared childbirth class, a couple added their recommendation of the same pediatrician because he had been stumped by the set of symptoms exhibited by their older child. The pediatrician honestly admitted he wasn’t sure and took the care to research it further to reach a conclusive diagnosis. Because of that honesty and research, they vowed he would be all their kids’ pediatrician. The new mother chose him and when her first-born had a slightly common condition that children sometimes outgrow, the pediatrician didn’t dismiss it and chose to have it checked out more thoroughly in case intervention was needed. Since then, she has chosen him for all her children.

Social networks serve to increase the scope of where customers and clients seek these recommendations. Today, the expectant mom may seek these recommendations from her friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances near and far through Facebook, discussion boards, local blogs and websites.

Being well-known as an expert is great, but being well-known AND willing to continue advancing that expertise to benefit your customer is even better.

Press releases can be submitted electronically, to print and online media outlets alike. In today’s world, social media and the internet literally put resources at the fingertips of those seeking answers. Traditional media outlets, such as newspapers, magazines, television and radio, still have a very wide reach and each have their strengths, also.

To avoid the common pitfall of bland press releases, use creative press releases that capture the attention of media and public alike. Concentrate on what is important to your audience. Consider their needs, challenges and most pressing concerns and how your product or services can improve their lives. With social networking, people are not only looking for your main product or services, but also advice, tips, and guidance that will help them do their jobs better or save time and money. Most likely, they will be looking online for these resources or asking friends near and far, for their input.

As social media allows for more two-way communication among companies and clients, press releases can be used to foster that sense of interaction. Use press releases, both in the local print media and online, to lure customers by offering them something useful like a free report, for example. Include in the press release the announcement of the availability of the report, example of some of the material inside, and how to send for or download the free report.

Print media and online media are not mutually exclusive. Many print magazines also publish online in order to capture both the paper-in-hand readers and online readers. Who says you need to choose one over the other?

The current marketing climate indicates consumers are looking to trust those with whom they do business and this includes small companies. There is a general mistrust of marketing strategies that blast consumers with their products or services without any regard to the true needs of consumers. And many people refer to “the media” in very negative terms. Many are now looking for socially responsive and responsible companies. Practice good social skills and etiquette as you would when dealing with consumers in person including listening, responding and exhibiting authenticity and generosity in order to add value to their lives.

By listening and responding to their needs and moods, and not just the ones your product or service directly addresses, your sensitivity will produce more valuable and stronger connections than any targeted hard-sell tactics will. Allow feedback and discussion on your website and fan pages where consumers can exchange information with each other and get feedback about concerns.

Be generous. Share not only the wealth when able, but also time and knowledge to keep up the conversation. Social media’s two-way communication should allow an exchange of ideas, even if that includes giving credit and praise for others’ good ideas. Honest retweeting is a great way to share these ideas and positivity. Be open to your customers’ good ideas and suggestions. It fosters a sense of community.

Most of all, be yourself. People are skeptical by nature and one of the most positive things one can do is to be genuine. Maintain authenticity and positivity in your interactions.

Practicing these social skills will help instill confidence in your audience and enrich the lives of those involved in the interaction.

• A key strategy for your social media campaign is to make your prospects and followers feel part of the “group.” This is human nature; nothing feels better than being a member of the “group.” Studies have shown that the key reason people connect on various social media platforms is to have a sense of “belonging.” They want the feeling of being part of an important and valuable group.
Remember when you were in high school and all you wanted to do was belong, be accepted, be acknowledged and appreciated, that is what social media gives many people. When you focus your social media strategy on your target audience, your approach should stay simple. Include your audience in your communications, invite them to be a part of the discussion, ask them to share their knowledge and opinions and respond to their participation. This will make them feel that they are considered important and they will want to not only be a member of the group but they will be excited about being a contributing member of the group. Thanks to social media, businesses can now be that “group” that many want to be a part of.

• Now that we have acknowledged and began to pay attention to our patrons of our social media community we now need APPROVAL. Gaining and giving approval is a vital ingredient when you interact with your current and potential clientele. Many consumers and businesses don’t fully understand what to do on social media or how they should engage one another. If you convey approval of what your customers have to say, they will come to realize that there is value in their participation and you will see that your relationship will begin to flourish!

• We all hate feeling unappreciated. Social Media is an outlet for most to have a chance to be appreciated. Fan pages are well-known for receiving and giving appreciation to those deserving of it. When communicating to your clientele it is a smart move to show appreciation for their patronage and to express appreciation for your potential clients. Remember to pay close attention to what is important to them and try to help them find a solution to their problems or say thank you for their kind words.

• Assurance is another vital key in the psyche of social media engagement. We all know the importance of having assurance during a face to face conversation; it is just as important in the electronic world. It is not a secret that folks want to know they are saying and doing the correct things on social media. We all want to be reassured that our communication efforts are accurate and appropriate. This is critical when implementing your social media marketing strategy. You should be creating an atmosphere that gives people the feeling that when conducting business with you that they are lucky because you will be there for them in any format they need.

• Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame. Now with YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and various other platforms, 15 minutes can turn into an eternity. Who doesn’t want to see their name in lights? Those in protective custody, probably not, but the average person wants to be noticed. It is important to give praise to your potential and current clientele. Through your communications, be sure to highlight your followers in discussions with other people and pass on their words to others as you respond to them. This is just one more way to show that you value your audience. Acknowledging your client is free, the feeling they get that the whole world knows you appreciate them… PRICELESS!

This is just my take on one of the many behind the scenes “tips” that I have found helpful when implementing my social media plan. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. I’m open for a good discussion!

Consumers these days are smarter and are easily annoyed, therefore when a company pushes their product and/or services onto the consumers, the more your consumer becomes annoyed. You have to be more of a friend to develop a relationship with your consumers, and ultimately, gain their trust.

Your consumer relationships can be developed by participating in free or low-cost social media applications such as blogs, vlogging (video blogging),podcastings, and social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

These social media applications and networking sites allow strategic, immediate-feedback conversations that create significant increases in your companies’ brand awarenes, user engagement, and grow loyal supporters with customized experiences.

Your company can also use these social networking sites to monitor your company’s reputation, stay abreast of your competition and conduct consumer research.

Flaky consumers are being weeded out and only prospective consumers are being reached with targeted messages. Since social media marketing and public relations efforts result in some form of feedback and measurable results, marketing campaigns can be quickly assessed to see if they are working or not.

Most businesses believe that online marketing is about how cool their website looks. Although having a nice website is a start, you need to know that it is more than that. Your website needs to be informative and engaging. A productive website should not be stale and should be consistently updated. Most web designers agree that your content should be fresh and your visitors’ reactions should be measured and reviewed. This action will help your business keep your website competitive and more viable.

Watch, study and listen carefully before you develop your company’s social media strategy. The best way to improve social media marketing skills is to find a consultant that can guide you or assist you in your campaign. There are dozens of social media platforms to support your social media efforts, and there are new platforms developed and released every day. Find someone who can evaluate these tools for you, stay up to date on the newly released platforms and is willing to assist you when you need them.

Do not misunderstand this posting as an end all to print media. Many companies are struggling and I want them to know that there is a successful alternative to print media that comes at a lower cost. Most important if you can engage in a social media campaign and a print campaign that is golden! Combine the two strategies and watch your business bloom.

TwitDoc.com gives you the capability to easily “tweet” documents and pictures.

It allows you to upload…

•  an array of files (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, text, PS and Open Office)
• images  (JPG, GIF, PNG, etc)
• videos (avi, mov, qt, mpg, mpeg, mpeg4, m4v, wmv, and flv)

…and gives it out on your tweet as a shortened URL for your followers.

Your maximum size for a document file is 15MB, image file is 10MB and video file is 25MB.

TwitDoc.com is just one more efficient tool you can use to share press releases, brochures, articles and other documents to create a buzz about your information. 

For search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, it can be used in combination with an HTML page on your website of the same information.  

Happy Tweeting!

Marketing and public relations has taken on a different face.  Traditional marketing and PR is expensive, that is why it is imperative for today’s businesses to consider the route of marketing and conducting public relations through the means of social media.  If you get the right expert, your opportunities could explode before your very eyes.  Sounds great, and it is!  

People spend more time on the internet than on any other form of media known to human life form.  If you want to truly build relationships with current and future clients, then social media is where you need to be.  If you want to keep hoping someone is going to use your services, then keep dumping loads of money on commercials and postcards, than have at it.  If you truly believe that is the way to find your paying customers, than why are you reading this blog? Don’t get me wrong I appreciate it, but think about what I have stated. 

Here are some interesting facts for you to ponder:

• Americans Have Access to a Trillion Web Pages
• Print Circulation is Down 7 Million Over the Past 25 Years
• Past 5 Years – Online Media Outlets Received over 30 Million Unique Readers
• More Videos were uploaded to YouTube in the LAST 2 Months than if ABC, NBC and CBS Had Been Airing New Content 24/7/365 since 1948!
• 2009 Traditional Advertising has had a Steep Decline – Newspaper 18.7%, TV 10.1%, Radio 11.7% and Magazines 14.8%
• 2009 Digital Advertising Significant Increase-  Phone Applications 18.1%  and Computer 9.2%

If you liked what I had to say this time around, see what you can actually learn next time.

To find out more about the true Social Media Platform, visit us at http://www.SMP4YOU.com

Once I arrived at my destination, home, I ,of course, logged on to Facebook.  The next thing I thought was there were all my billboards.  Facebook has its own billboards known as Facebook ads. Times have changed and for the better. Marketing now is much more affordable. Instead of waiting for someone to drive by, and hopefully, see your billboard that costs you $15,000 a month, they go to the internet, put in a great keyword, and there it is. Now don’t get me wrong. A few billboards, like the ones in Time Square, are useful to a point, but if you don’t have massive amounts of cash to fork over, than the point is mute. Another point is Time Square is probably one of the places this can possibly happen, even the billboards that are mobile, i.e. buses and vans with constant changing signs, are basically useless and a waste of money.

First of all, these means of advertising could one, not catch folks attention because they are busy driving. Another point is how many folks will pass your billboard before they see it, much less be interested?

Billboards are all over the internet, and they show up based on what you search.  How great is that? Another form of billboards are social networking sites.  This brings me to what I have been seeing in the news.

I was watching Charles Gibson on the nightly news, and there it was again.  One more way social media is a must in today’s economic survival.  Businesses are tweeting about their holiday sales, and hospitals are making videos to create awareness of breast cancer.  Social media has taken over large and far, therefore, it is not business as usual.

If you plan on surviving in today’s world of business, take in account that you must use social media in various lights.  Social media is not only a great marketing tool but a powerful public relations tool.  Best Buy uses Twitter to answer complaints, and now their customer satisfaction has increased significantly.

When looking at this year’s marketing budget and marketing plan, this is an area that needs to be pondered and strategically considered.

To learn more about how Social Media can drive your business to new heights, go to http://budurl.com/smp4you