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What Google+ is Really Offering

by: Jamey Brown 


Earlier today I read a great article by Robert Hof that tapped into the struggles Google has conveying to its users “why they should care about Google+.” And to be honest, there isn’t a clean cut answer to this. Google cannot even answer it directly. But, my question is, at least for now, is this a bad thing?

Right now Google has one of the best long term visions compared to any other major company. What is this vision? Well, it’s to slowly corale each internet user (so basically, everybody) to think of Google not as only a piece of the internet, but the internet. Facebook has done a great job of building a large social house, but it is still having trouble expanding outside those walls. Now I know it has over 1 billion users, but that number can only be sustained for so long with the correct advancements. Google is taking things from a much more outward to inward approach, thus making it take more time, but in the end it has the potential to be much more of a universal tool than Facebook (who is taking the inward to outward approach).

Google+ was the “social network” that was introduced to not just be a rival to Facebook. No. It was created as a piece of the puzzle that will in years to come make more sense than it does today. How will it “make sense”? Once Google gets comfortable with the development aspects of Google+, users will then be able to really get used to its functionality. After this step, the essential tie between content on Google+ and that same content in Google Search will be a very attractive aspect. But see, these are just two pieces of the pie. The Google real estate that includes Earth, +, Search, Glass, Ads, YouTube, etc. will eventually become its own universe entirely. That is the plan, but the final question that begs to be asked is will it work? The plan is there. The digital real estate is there. But can the execution be done well enough to convince regular users? Time will tell.

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Why Forums Are Still Cool

by: Jamey Brown

Remember these? Although they may seem a bit archaic, they are one of the first forms of social media. I’ll admit, until recently I hadn’t engaged in a forum since I was younger (when that’s all there really was). But I’ve had to delve into this digital domain head first since one of our clients is ramping up a new push for them. That being said, I forgot how engaging they were. It is a much more long-winded type speak, with a lot of room to become an influencer in your industry. I have also gotten some great practice from the Social Media Examiner Clubs which are great for anyone in this field. Forums are still very cool and yes, people are still talking in them. So, find some that pertain to your industry and give them a shot. (Hint: a good place to start is Google+ Communities. These are forums disguised in social media camouflage)

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5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Implementing a Social Media Strategy

by: Jamey Brown

In my head it goes: goal setting – brainstorm – idea pool – checks and balances – strategy – tactics – finished plan. This has been my process for developing strategy plans thus far. Everyone’s strategy development is different, but the overarching themes can be applicable to all. Oh yeah, and strategy (since I see it everywhere and no real description attached) is the high level plan(s) that’s built to achieve certain, pre-determined goals. Tactics are the executional steps that help achieve the overarching goals of the strategy. So, before you make the jump to executional, think of these five questions while you are developing your overarching strategic plan.

1. What are my goals? Short term? And long term?

It’s all pointless if you are not striving to hit certain goals you’ve set. There needs to a be a concise list of short term, immediate goals you want to knock out, and then a concise list of the big, 6 month-ish goals you want to achieve over time. Determining goals is the very first step.

2. Will I need 1 overarching strategy? Or several?

Sometimes, multiple strategies are needed if the client you are working with is a large one and has multiple large goals to achieve on a more corporate branding level. That and the fact that they could have a campaign that seeks to accomplish two very different things. Do I recommend them implementing a bipolar campaign? No. But sometimes several strategies are needed to accomplish different sets of goals.

3. What tactics do I need in place to fulfill the goals of my strategy?

VERY IMPORTANT. These are the mechanical pieces that keep the big machine running. You need actionable steps that say, “this is how you are going to actually do it on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis.”

4. Is my strategy fulfilling BOTH my long term and short term goals?

Always go back and double check yourself. Asking this question forces you to keep your goals on your mind at all times. Sometimes “creativity” can blind people’s strategic thinking and “cool” can take a front seat very fast. DON’T let this happen. Goals are always #1! Let cool and creativity come naturally.

5. What is the lifespan (timeline) of this strategy? 

Simple. How long will this plan be in place? Again, determine how long you think it will take to accomplish the long term goals at hand and build a strategy that reflects that timeline. It could be three months; it could be one year. Give yourself checkpoints along the way.

What are some other steps you implement before developing a new social media strategy plan? 

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“The Hard Is What Makes It Great”

by: Jamey Brown

 

The life of a Community Manager, Strategist or Director is a hard one. One that sometimes has weeks where you want to pull out your hair, click “hang up” on a conference call and power off all devices. These weeks entail late nights, constant writing, and organizational skills that some think don’t even exist.

But when it’s all said and done, and you’ve put in the time and the hard work, watch this clip after each of these weeks. Make it a ritual. Exhale, because these weeks are the hard weeks. The ones that separate the good from great. And as you exhale, know that you conquered the hard, you achieved Community Manager greatness. Because in the end, if it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.

 

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We Humans Sure Do Love Repetition

by: Jamey Brown

When pushing out content or messaging it may seem repetitive to you, but the more frequent that message is pushed out (during the campaign duration) the bigger the reach will be.

Do not go overboard (and you will feel it when you go over the line), but repurpose your content and messaging so that it can reach a variety of users in your audience.

Remember, when you feel thoroughly annoyed by pushing out the same content, that’s the same time you have just made a decent impression in the market.

 

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Don’t Let Content Overwhelm You

by: Jamey Brown

This morning as I arose with the sounds of Atlanta’s Midtown outside my window, I already had social on the brain. Today is a busy day in terms of monitoring certain communities and tidying things up simply to be prepared for this week. So, per usual, I got up, flipped on the coffee and plugged in.

Right now, at this very moment, I have six tabs open. One is Gmail. Four are social networks. The last one is WordPress (I guess technically another social network, but let’s not pick over small cookies). With this plethora of content at my fingertips, how do I filter it all to what I want? How do I not have a panic attack because there’s. just. so. much.? Well, it’s easy, manage yourself, not the networks.

Right now, I have too much content available at one time. Space things out into small segments of time. Overload can be detrimental.

Schedule what you want to get out of the next hour. I need to reply to some e-mails. I need to check my Google+ Communities and I need to monitor two specific LinkedIn Groups. These three things are priority for the next hour. So, I can remove my Twitter and Facebook tabs for now (and the WordPress one after I finish writing this on my break! Ha!)

Take your time. Content is much more effectively absorbed if you actually slow things down a bit and digest what you are reading AS you read it. Say it back to yourself.

Take small breaks. Now this does not work for everybody, but I am much more effective if I review something for 30 minutes and then take a 5-10 minute break. Rinse and repeat this and you will be surprised how much you get done by the end of the day.

Breathe. Remember, there’s always a tomorrow. Knock out what is priority for the next 24 hours, breathe and begin to schedule into the week.

What are some other content management tips you’ve found to be useful?  

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6 Reasons Why “Driving Traffic” is Vital

by: Jamey Brown

On my way home for Easter this weekend (from Atlanta to Athens, Georgia) I had to stop, turn off the main highway and go around, through a gas station, and get back onto the main highway about 500 feet down the road. Why? A water line had busted, thus forcing cars to have to go around and reconnect to the same road a few hundred feet further down. Pulling through the gas station, along with all of the other cars, and back onto the main highway I thought, “I was redirected here. And now, I am in front of this gas station and I am a little hungry…” The bottom line: I was driven, directed to a destination where I could potentially make a purchase for something I wanted. Now, I understand gas stations are a hard comparison because they offer various things (as opposed to an ad that offers a specific product or service), but the real life metaphor got me thinking…

Cost effective social ad buys must be specifically targeted. The more targeted, typically, the better results.

Aim for the enthusiasts. In the end, they will convert and convince more than anyone else.

Make sure your destination is inline with your ads. User confusion ends in click-offs and no conversions.

Monitor your campaigns daily. Be it traditional Facebook ads, promoted posts, Twitter trends, etc. Always know what’s doing well and what’s not.

In conjunction with the above, adjust your ad images, copy, spend, interests, demographics, etc. based on what is working and what isn’t.

Rinse and repeat. If you had a successful ad campaign that had a high CTR and a plethora of page views and visits on the destination you wanted, then repeat that strategy! Be wary though, some adjustments might need to be made as all campaigns aim towards different people.

 

What have you found to be a successful way to drive traffic to the destination you want?