At only 140 characters per tweet, the same as an SMS (Text) message, Twitter has been used as a tool by many celebrities, businesses, and organizations to get the word out about what it is they’re doing and how it affects “Tweeple” or “Tweeps” (a.k.a. people of Twitter) around the world. With Twitter, it’s not about quantity, but instead it’s about quality, and when tweeting (a.k.a. posting information) on behalf of your business make sure you are always aiming to interest others. Be aware of the target audience, and what it is they want to hear. Always retweet (a.k.a. Tweet another person’s exact tweet) interesting tweets, but only if they pertain to your company or the focal topic of your Twitter. Retweeting is a great and easy way to gain followers and spread important and interesting information.
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.
Twitter has slowly become one of the best ways to get the word out about your business or organization. Each 140-character “tweet” can pack a powerful punch if used correctly. Not only does the 140-character limit make your tweets concise and to the point, but it also opens up access to all cell phone users, and not just smart phones with a Twitter app.
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 is another social media platform used to promote yourself or your company. To first understand LinkedIn, you must understand the terminology. A connection is when you know someone on LinkedIn, you then request to “connect” with that person. You can then connect with your friends’ connections as well. LinkedIn will also show you connections you might have in common with someone and suggest connections for you. You may also request a connection to a person you have interest in working with and network yourself. LinkedIn also offers another resource, the recommendation tab. Once a user is registered on LinkedIn, they can send a request for written recommendations to friends, family, or previous employers. Recommendations are displayed on the user’s page, making it easy and accessible for employers to find recommendations. This is a valuable networking tool and a great way to keep in contact with friends, family members, employees, co-workers, and more.
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.
Social media is a full throttle expanding industry. You close your eyes for a good night’s sleep and wake up to find Facebook has a new look or new updates, Twitter has new features or hashtags, or there is a new sensational video on YouTube that has the world talking. Facebook now has more than 600 million active users and continues to expand globally. Facebook was first used to find friends and today has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Companies create fan pages for customers to visit and learn more about the company and products or services offered. The marketplace is an online store for Facebook users to post items they want to sell or give away or buy items. Facebook statuses are being used to inform customers of promotional events or giveaways. It is rare to find a company that cannot be found on Facebook today. Even though Facebook is increasing among companies, it is constantly growing for personal use. People want to connect with their friends and Facebook helps keep in contact with friends in a timely fashion. Twitter is utilized as status updates to keep customers engaged in what is new or developing with a company. Companies are coming up with creative ways to keep customers “following” their Twitter page. For example, Best Buy uses their Twitter for customer services, E! News tweets all the latest Hollywood gossip, and politicians are getting involved to increase interaction with their followers. For personal use, Twitter helps keep followers updated on their daily lives and is a convenient way to share pictures, websites, or recommend virtual and real places to visit. YouTube is a video-sharing website that users can upload, share, and view videos. Once you sign into YouTube, time flies. The videos are addicting and make you never want to log off. Companies are reaching out to their customers by getting involved in video marketing. The social media trend is ever growing and continues to transform the Internet age.
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.
In trying to keep up with the ever-changing Facebook, here’s a tip to help restore a setting you may not realize has been changed in your Facebook news feed.
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In the following video, Social Media Platform CEO/President Sonja Dyess spoke to a group of real estate investors in Jacksonville, FL about video marketing. She taught them everything they needed to know to help advertise their business using video marketing. Videos that are produced online tend to go viral in 24-48 hours depending on the content, the audience and how it is distributed. If you would like for Social Media Platform to speak at your event or coach your staff about the massive world of social media, visit the Social Media Platform website or send us an email.
Web presence is more than just a website these days. Making your content shareable and participating in the conversation through social media is part of the ever-changing face of public relations in 2011.
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.
Sharabilityis 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.
As consumers, wouldn’t most of us be more likely to trust the endorsement offered by a family member, a friend, or even another consumer we’ve never even met over a company’s endorsement of their own products/services? Undoubtedly. By leveraging the power of public relations and social media you have the awesome capability of building buzz for your business while attaining third-party credibility.
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)
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 or time of service. 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.
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 Mashable.com. 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.
2 October blog post ideas
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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 detailsOct 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…*
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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.
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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.
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Sonja Dyess
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show detailsOct 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!!!
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.
At only 140 characters per tweet, the same as an SMS (Text) message, Twitter has been used as a tool by many celebrities, businesses, and organizations to get the word out about what it is they’re doing and how it affects “Tweeple” or “Tweeps” (a.k.a. people of Twitter) around the world. With Twitter, it’s not about quantity, but instead it’s about quality, and when tweeting (a.k.a. posting information) on behalf of your business make sure you are always aiming to interest others. Be aware of the target audience, and what it is they want to hear. Always retweet (a.k.a. Tweet another person’s exact tweet) interesting tweets, but only if they pertain to your company or the focal topic of your Twitter. Retweeting is a great and easy way to gain followers and spread important and interesting information.
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.
Posted by giaciccone 
Each 140-character “tweet” can pack a powerful punch if used correctly. Not only does the 140-character limit make your tweets concise and to the point, but it also opens up access to all cell phone users, and not just smart phones with a Twitter app.
Social Media 4 You 
