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.
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?
YouTube’s made some channel changes. Drop a “like” or “dislike” in the comments section.
You’re a creator. A curator. A communicator.
You’re an editor. A director. A writer.
You’re an analyst. An interpreter. An advertiser.
You’re a sun up to sun down (and then some) worker. A “not leaving till it’s done” researcher.
You’re an orchestrator . A leader. A helper.
You’re a contributor. But most importantly, a listener.
You’re a doer. An observer. A specialist.
You’re a linker. A connector. A seeker.
You’re a Community Manager
Congrats on being awesome
Ok, so a Community Manager walks into a bar… no, just kidding. But a Community Manager really does walk into his or her office, sits down and looks at the calendar. It’s THAT day. You know what day I’m talking about… the day where you click open the Excel (or Google Doc) content calendar for the next month and a slow tear comes down your cheek as you stare at the unbranded abyss. That lack of future content makes you even more nauseous than the two grande coffees you just had. But then you remember, “hey, we are now crowd-sourcing content from our online communities” (and yes, I will use that buzzword only once. Apologies). The flashbacks of your meeting with the Strategy Director and CMO are coming back to you and the words “we need to start incorporating more user generated content from our fans and followers” blink in bright neon lights. You then take a look at next month’s naked calendar and attack it with no fear. Well, before you do this you need to read the below tips on how to not go nutzo with user generated content. Because as transparent and effective as it can be, it can also be lethal to your brand or organization if overdone or done poorly.
1. MOST IMPORTANT Research Where Your Content Is Coming From: I know there are other things to do on your list, but take a few minutes to make sure the content you are using is from a credible source. Believe me, if you publish content that is from a sketchy source fans and followers will call you out on it. And you don’t have time for that.
2. Do Not Forget Regular Content Strategy: user generated content can become addictive, especially if you have a large brand who enjoys tweeting, posting and producing videos about that product. Stay the course with your brand’s marketing strategy! Content from the community is an add-on, the icing on the cake. It is a strategy that should be periodically tossed in to spice things up and show everyone that “cool, they are listening to us and publishing our content.” Don’t fall into the trap of becoming addicted to your online community’s content. If you get hooked then all of your walls, streams and pages will become flooded with fan and follower content. Your brand message will be lost, thus creating confusion as to anything you were actually trying to push.
3. Make It Exclusive: this is the point of it all. Make your community members feel as though they are part of the VIP section at the Viper Room when something of THEIRS is published by YOU. To that person, it’s a stamp of brand approval. They will say to themselves (and their friends) “yeah, that’s my video that was RT’ed.” But if your consistency amps up and everything becomes user generated content then this exclusivity is lost. It is no more the “secret lair” you wanted it to be. The zest, the rush of it is lost.
Now, as you put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), remember these tips when implementing a user generated content strategy (wow, I’ve used this word a lot. Please comment on another word for this. I seem to be getting buzzword syndrome). Finally, have fun with it. That’s the bottom line with all of this. Content, branding, online communities, etc. are supposed to be fun and engaging. Don’t forget that when making things shareable and RT’able.
Social media is a touchpoint for marketing; it is not marketing, nor is it branding. Rinse that and repeat. So many people throw a hail mary with social media expecting it to be this saving grace that brings their brand or organization back to life (if it even needs it in the first place). Social media is an extension for your brand’s image and voice. Don’t ever ever ever try and brand yourself with social media. Your voice and message will fail because people will immediately detect your brand’s incoherent and inconsistent voice. Believe me, I have seen startups think social is the key to success and then their brand falls flat. Why? Because there was no brand in place prior to.
When I tell people social media is a touchpoint for brands, organizations etc. I sometimes get bug-eyed looks accompanied with “wait, isn’t that what you do for a living? What exactly do you do with your days if it just a touchpoint?” Well buckaroo, that little touchpoint is actually massive. There are infinite ideas, strategies and tactics that go into socializing a brand. And those tactics will not only fill up your day but swallow it whole.
Understand that branding and social are two very different things – think of them as peanut butter and jelly. Let social bring our your branding and allow it to flourish and gain reach, engagement and word of mouth. Just remember to make the divide between these two…always.
A couple of days ago the new Vine application was released and every digital nerd, including myself, thought we were the new Spielbergs of directing. The stop/go flip book app allows users to easily edit together video content of their choosing and then share socially within the Vine community or to other social networks (Twitter and Facebook). I refrained from writing an immediate piece upon the app’s release date because I wanted to let the initial wave of “OMG, this is awesome” to blow over and really examine the realistic benefits of this program. Is this application a real game changer? No. Will it be a useful, tactical tool for brands? Yes. Below are 3 reasons why.
1. Transparency: one of the most important staples a brand must embrace when using social media is transparency. This is something that we all know by now. The question now is “how can we further our transparency?” The Vine app will allow users to take a step further into the brand’s internal way of life. Nothing huge, but it will make users connect with the brand further because…ding ding ding…the brand will be further humanized in the eyes of the user!
2. Conciseness: I am sure there were many meetings, debates, brainstorms, etc. on how long the clip’s length. And Vine did a great job with staying in line with Twitter’s mantra of being the salsa dance network of social media. When user’s only have a limited amount of time to make their multimedia content oscar winning they know it has to be good. And it is perfect for people who are on the go (and the majority of us are these days). So if I want a quick “how-to” clip on how to cook a meal or how to put something together then I know Vine can give me the quick video blueprint of how to do that. Hmm… do you hear that brands? “How-to” videos on Vine…not a bad practice to start implementing if applicable.
3. Content: everything in social media will always wrap back around to “is your content worthy?” So, whether it is a “how to” clip or you showing segments of your day, make sure the content you push out on this application is something users will not just like, but benefit from. I can like something all day on Facebook, but Vine takes things a step further in that it will be a competition for good content.
So, future social media directors, go out and start filming. Just know that you should not overuse this app and the content you push out needs to not only be “cool,” but valuable to other users.
Have you used the Vine application yet? If so, what has been your favorite type of content you’ve seen so far?
So how does content really get out there for users to see? There are the basic strategies and tactics, but it never hurts to put some ad dollars behind solid content. That being said, promoted posts are a content marketer’s dream. I am currently running multiple promoted posts campaigns for a client and so far (knock on wood) the numbers are coming out great. Below are 4 things to remember every time you run a promoted post campaign.
1. Include Links: always always always have this content driving traffic to a certain destination. You’re putting money behind, make it worth the expense! Along with including applicable links in the content, make sure to track these links on the back end. I use bit.ly for all of my link statistics. You can also incorporate promo codes within the copy to make clicking the link more attractive to users.
2. Target Correctly: bottom line, if you don’t target well you WILL be the victim of a spam invasion. I have seen it happen and trust me, it isn’t pretty. Be precise in your targeting because the more precise you are, typically, the better your numbers will be. This is not the case every time, but if you are seeking out a specific group of people to engage with (and trying to get them to purchase something) then you need to zero in on them.
3. Set The Appropriate Budget: the bigger your Facebook community is, the bigger your ad spend options are going to be. The higher the spend, the bigger the reach. The more you invest, the more engagement you will receive, thus resulting in a growing community and more traffic being driven to your digital destination.
4. Oh Yeah, The Content Has To Be Good: Warning! If the content is bad, promoted posts will only help so much. Put yourself in your market’s place and say, “would I click this?” When you pass this test, then click “promote.”
Promoting posts is a real game changer for brand pages because it is a guaranteed way to market good content to the exact people who need to see it. In fact, I would not be surprised to see traditional Facebook ads to start slowly fading out. Why? Well, promoted post advertising is all the gravy of a traditional Facebook ad, but with engagement applications attached to it and it is placed in a news feed as opposed to the side panel (aka the no man’s land of mouse cursors). So the next time you are launching an ad campaign, give promoted posts a thought and watch the results roll in.
With the 2012 marketing season soon to wind down, we are all gearing up for 2013. Here are some questions that should be on every good marketer’s mind: What are new strategies? How can we execute? What is our budget? To help you find the answers, take a look at the social media glossary below – think of it as a concise guide to refer to when you are planning out your 2013 social media marketing plan.
Attention – always pay attention to everyone in your online community. Remember, those fans and followers are real people.
Blog – no matter what field you are in, you should have a blog that reflects your brand or organization; this will build readership among other thought leaders in your field.
Community – this is what social media is all about. Social networks are simply online communities. Engagement, discussion and respect are top priority within these communities.
Delete – don’t do it! Unless there is graphic content that must be removed, do not delete what your community is saying. It negates transparency. If you host a community where profanity or hateful comments abound, then post a “house rules” disclaimer stating you will remove certain kinds of comments. This will protect you from angered fans.
Engagement – do it! Always. By actively engaging with their communities, brands build zealots and open lines of communications – this leads to great word of mouth. We all like the good chatter. It’s a great way to thank those who support your brand.
Facebook – Once the mothership, but with many other platforms such as Twitter and Pinterest gaining traction, it is not seen as the head of social networks anymore.
Google+ – I firmly believe that Google+ is essential in today’s social media marketing plan for brands. Three words, S-E-O!
Help – always be willing to lend a helping hand as a brand. Fans and followers use social to get answers, be there for them.
Instagram – one of the most popular social networks. Why? Multimedia always wins, especially filtered multimedia. Visual content is key and Instagram is an easy way to make your photos even better. Great visuals + branding = a social win.
Jabber – don’t unintelligibly ramble on. It’s a turn off and will make people want to leave your community. Keep it short and to the point.
Klout – Albeit a little faulted in many experts’ opinions, it still helps identify who is influential with-in defined categories. Don’t invest too much in the actual numbers though.
Listen – one of the most important practices in social media. Listen first, speak later. No one likes the person who only talks about themselves at the party, and you can gain key insights to your fan base.
Myspace – oh snap! I said it. It’s coming back. Don’t believe me? See here.
Network – what it’s all about.
Optimize – stay on top. Make sure all of your channels, sites and marketing plans are up to date and as functional as possible. Cross promote your properties as well. Make it easy for fans to find you.
Pinterest – the new business pages are here. Get crackin!
Quiet – don’t go quiet. When a brand goes away so does all of the word-of-mouth (well, at least the good kind…). Your once dedicated fans will not be happy campers. If you have gone silent then start posting again as soon as possible, no excuses, just do it!
Reach – strive to have a big reach with your brand message, but don’t sacrifice community engagement for bigger reach.
Statistics – always always always measure your data. You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t where you’ve been. We recommend spending a little here to get the full picture. There are lots of affordable tools out there. Invest in social and you will get more out of your efforts.
Twitter – many call it the most important social network. Twitter is essential. Think of it as the salsa dance of social media.
Unfollow – go through and unfollow people you do not interact with on Twitter, as well as inactive users, spammers and egg-heads. Value conversation and connections over your ‘followers’ count.
Visuals – multimedia is king. Try and include still visuals and motion picture in your content strategy. Be wary though, a video that is too long is dangerous.
Websites- where you probably invested a lot of money at one time. Although the party is no longer on your website, you should make sure it is functional, attractive and has links to all of your social platforms.
XXX – don’t incorporate inappropriate content. Graphic images and/or language is the number one way to make your community go rotten.
YouTube – can’t leave this out. Gotta have my ‘GangnamStyle‘ network!
Zealots – what every brand strives for. Your community should be filled with zealots who are passionate about your brand. Where do you think all the good word-of-mouth comes from?
Bonus:
Transparency – be transparent and open with your fans and followers. Allow them to be part of the brand. This builds dedication, something that helps everyone.
What’s your favorite letter of the social media alphabet? What did we miss?
