10 Ways to Successfully Use TweetDeck to Manage Your Twitter Marketing

20Jun

For many people, Twitter seems to be the most confusing of all of the social media channels.  It’s fast.  It’s brief. It involves what seems like code.  It looks messy and confusing…and the list goes on.

I remember when I first started using Twitter I had the same misgivings, but stuck it out and over time the power and effectiveness of this marketing channel became very clear.

But this was in the days before there were third party applications available that would help you manage your Twitter marketing strategy.  If you are getting into Twitter marketing now, you are lucky to have the opportunity to enjoy many of the free or inexpensive Twitter applications which can make managing your Twitter marketing campaign much more effective.

One of my go-to tools is TweetDeck.

A word of caution before we move on.  If you are just starting out with Twitter, I suggest you make yourself familiar with Twitter.com FIRST, learn the terminology of Twitter second, THEN open a TweetDeck account and explore its capabilities.

Back to TweetDeck.  What can I say, I think you will absolutely love the capabilities of this platform.  Getting started is easy: go to TweetDeck.com and sign up for a free account.  Once setup, add you Twitter account and you are ready to start exploring the many different features.

The first thing that you will notice is that TweetDeck uses columns to organize the data.  Each column contains a different batch of information that you specify and add.  This platform is highly customizable, so you can focus on the aspects that you think are important to your business.  Make a mistake?  Columns are easy to edit, delete and move.

Here are just some of the benefits of using TweetDeck and suggestions on how to use it to save time, frustration and garner higher results for your marketing efforts on Twitter:

1.  Track Your Mentions:  By creating a column to track your Mentions, you can keep up with all of the people that are interacting with you in the public stream (and respond).

2.  Track Your Direct Messages (DM):  Create a column for your Messages (DM) and you will be able to track and reply.

3.  Create Custom Searches:  Use the Search column to look up keyword phrases that your customers would use to find products/services similar to what you offer.  Great for prospecting!

4.  Interact with Your Twitter List:  Have you created a custom list on Twitter.com?  If so, you can add it as a column here and interact with it in real-time.

5.  Keep Up With Interactions: You can easily add a column which shows all of your interactions as and when they happen.

6.  See Who Followed You: Create a column for Followers and you can see who recently followed you and engage with them.

7.  Keep Up With Your Activity: Track your Twitter account’s activity level by adding the Activity column.

8.  Use the Mobile App on Your Smart Phone: Get all of the platform’s capabilities on the go.

9.  Manage Multiple Accounts: You are able to add multiple accounts, so manage all of your Twitter accounts in one place.

10.  Keep Up With Trends: You can add the Trends column to see what is trending in the Twitterverse in real-time.

And this is scratching the surface.  I think that if you jump onto TweetDeck and have a click around, you will see that it is definitely something that can be valuable to your Twitter marketing strategy and daily efforts.  It gives you a more organized view of Twitter in order for you to focus your marketing more effectively.

Again, before using a service such as this, you need to have a strategy, predefined targets and a daily schedule in place.  Without these pieces there are no tools out there that can make you more successful.  

Make sure to follow me and The Go! Agency on Twitter today.  Don’t forget to say hello and feel free to ask any questions that you may have.

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10 Ways to Choose the Perfect LinkedIn Groups to Market Your Business

19Jun

Before I have written about the power of LinkedIn and one of its most popular features: LinkedIn Groups.  I’ve discussed the power of using these groups to get your message in front of an audience of thousands, how to create your own custom group and even how to get the most out of the administration panel of your group page.  What I have never discussed is arguably one of the most important factors:

How to choose the perfect LinkedIn Groups to market your business!

As I’m asked this question again and again, I thought I would take a moment and give you  10 criteria on how to choose and join the right groups to support your online marketing efforts using LinkedIn.

One thing to keep in mind before we begin: it is extremely easy to join and leave LinkedIn groups.  So the groups that you choose you will not be saddled with to the end of days.  You are always able to leave groups that are a poor fit and try out new ones that can be more suitable.  Also, you are allowed to join a maximum of 50 groups on LinkedIn.  As many require a group manager to “OK” your request, it can delay you joining groups at a fast past.  But slow and steady wins the race – stay patient and you will receive.

Here are my 10 criteria for choosing the perfect LinkedIn Groups for your business:

  1. Choose Niche Keywords First.  It is tempting when first searching the GROUPS section of LinkedIn to go for terms like “ceo” or “hospitality”.  My suggestion is to first go uber niche with your search and get specific.  Think about who your exact target market is, and then use that as your search criteria.  For example, skip just using “hospitality” and go for “hotel managers florida”.  If you put your search between quotes, you will see the ONLY groups with this phrase in their description.  While it may turn up less results than a general search, it will be extremely targeted and you may just find a gem.
  2. Read the Group Description.  The description, which appears under the title of the group on the results page, should give you a good idea about who the group is targeted to and what types of discussions are fine to be posted.  Make sure that this matches the type of content that you would like to use to engage and the audience is suitable.
  3. Check the Group Activity Level.  It is always better to be in an active group.  Below the group description, there is a grey line of text that will tell you about the activity level of the group.  My favorites are “Very Active”, but “Active” is good as well.
  4. Check the Number of New Discussions Created.  If the activity level is not present, you need to go to the next check which would be the number of discussions posted per month (this will be found at the same place below the group description).  If in a 30 day period there were only 9 discussions and the group has 12,345 members – it would not be a group that I would join immediately as it seems pretty inactive.
  5. How Many of the Group Members Are in Your Network?  The green text at the bottom of each search result will give you the number of the group members that are also members of your LinkedIn network (in the form of connections).  If you have a very targeted LinkedIn network, this number is a good indication if the group is on target for you.
  6. Does One Person Post All the Discussions?  Once you join a group (or if an open group, when you look at the main discussions page) look to see if one or two members are monopolizing the conversations/discussions.  If this is the case, I tend to leave the group and keep a note to circle back later.  As a new member, it is hard to break through in a group where certain members are posting new discussions extremely frequently, so it is better to go with a group that has less competition.
  7. Explore “Similar”.  If you find a group that is spot on using the criteria above, make sure to click on the green link at the bottom of the description that says “Similar”.  This is a great way to discover harder-to-find groups that can be right on target for your marketing.
  8. Beware of Brand Groups.  You will see that some groups have a brand name in their title, description and/or logo.  While some are membership groups only for members of the company’s team, there are others that function as a normal group but have their members of staff marketing in it consistently.  I try to avoid these as comments and discussions can be held in moderation and never be posted, making it extremely challenging to engage and connect with other group members.
  9. Open Groups are Good, But Can Be Spammy.  There are many groups that you are immediately able to join without going through a vetting process with the group manager.  While these Open Groups allow you to quickly join the conversation, make sure to look at the first page of discussion posts to see if they are mostly self-promotional or filled with job seekers.  If you see this, I would leave the group (unless this is a market you are trying to target).
  10.  Where Does the Group Manager Belong?  This is a close second to using the “Similar” link under the group description.  You will be able to see (sometimes before and sometimes after) who the group manager is.  Click on their name, go to their profile and then scroll down to the bottom of their profile where there groups are listed.  Go through their groups to see if there are other ones there that may benefit your business.

Now you should be able to properly and effectively choose a LinkedIn Group that fits your company’s targets and needs.  It is up to you to generate good solid discussions, add to discussions and engage with other group members.  But this is much easier when you are in the right spot and in front of an audience you are familiar with.

I’d like to invite you to join my own LinkedIn Group: feel free to ask any questions that you have!  Click here to join!

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Why Interns Aren’t Your Social Media Marketing Mentors

18Jun

With many companies working smarter in this challenging economic climate, business owners and managers alike are looking for inexpensive solutions to solve their operating, marketing and sales problems.

As we all know, there is a fine line between being savvy and being cheap, so in order to perpetuate the successful running of your company it is important to look at all of the factors around the inexpensive solution to make sure that it is a sound one.  Quality.  Experience. Reputation.  These are all factors that would come into the decision making process when looking to replace a member of staff, a supplier or a marketing method (such as advertising).

But why when it comes to social media marketing do companies forget this operating basis and go for a cheap solution that rarely touches all three of these important factors?

What I’m referring to is the almighty social media intern: the be all and end all of many organization’s social media strategy.  Now don’t get me wrong, I think interns are the best thing since sliced bread.  They are eager to help and learn and, if managed properly, can provide a rewarding experience for your company and employees.

The problem is I see many organizations taking on interns to specifically handle their social media marketing.  Not only their social media marketing day-to-day, but companies are asking their interns to build their entire social media department and strategy.

Is it the misconception that youth = social media savvy?  In many cases, I do believe this is the case and here is the problem.  While a younger person may be more well-versed on HOW social media works, do they truly know how to use it to market your company…or any business for that matter?

Also, if this is the first time that they are marketing using social media, is it a good idea to have them create and manage your social media reputation?

The answer?  Absolutely not.  I need to be frank with you here.  This is your business and the person/team that you want handling your social media marketing needs to be vetted through the same processes that you go through when choosing a new member of staff, supplier or marketing/sales channel.  They need to be experienced, have quality references, have quality work samples and understand your business.

Another issue is that using an intern will not illustrate the success that you can experience on social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  Using a summer intern to create a Facebook page and put out posts it not social media marketing and probably won’t bring you lots of attention, engagement or even LIKES.  I’ve spoke with many companies that don’t believe social media marketing works, because “we had an intern working on these sites for the past few months and didn’t see any results.”  Well, why should you?  You just let a part-time intern manage your social media marketing campaign entirely (many times without any guidance).

Let’s get one thing straight: I am not down on having interns do social media marketing.  What I am down on is using interns to “test” social media for you.  This is the job of your head of marketing or the social media marketing company that you outsource to.  These people will know the vision of your company, your marketing goals, your ethics, and have a vested interested in your success through creating a synergistic social media marketing STRATEGY.  Having someone off the street come in and create your entire social media strategy, part-time for credit, is not the answer.

When it comes to your social media marketing strategy, I’m sorry to say that the easy and inexpensive answer is not always the correct one.

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HashTags: Why You Need Them and How to Use Them

17Jun

I’m sure that you have heard about Hashtags before in social media, and maybe even know what they look like or have tried your hand at using them yourself.  But do you know why you need them and how to use them?

If you do not know how to use hashtags, it is time to sit up and take notice.  The reason being is that hashtags are now being used by Facebook (at the time of this writing, they are slowly being rolled out to Facebook users worldwide).  This should be a game changer for many online marketers as before this news, if the company did not use Twitter, they figured that there was no sense in learning how to properly use Hashtags.

But this has all changed now.

Let’s dive right in and discover exactly what a hashtag is.  A hashtag looks like this: #.  The hashtag becomes activated when it is paired with a keyword like so: #environment.  Let’s break this down further.  The “#” sign before the word environment signifies it as a hashtag and the word environment is the keyword used to identify which conversations on Twitter or Facebook to link your update to.  Why does this matter?  This will pop your tweet or update into a category of people talking about the subject #environment.  You see, after you create your hashtag and send a tweet or update, it will become hyperlinked.  If you click the hyperlink, it will take you to the stream of EVERYBODY site-wide speaking about #environment.  Talk about exposure, eh?

So, how do you create your own?  Simply add the # sign in front of the keyword that you would like to use to enter your update into a stream of conversation.  If you want to use a phrase, don’t use spaces.  For example: #socialmedia instead of #social media.  For the second one “social” will be the only phrase that is associated with that hashtag.

Why use them?  You would be surprised about the extra exposure that you will receive.

First, as stated above, when you use a hashtag you are being connected to other conversations on Twitter and Facebook where people are talking about the same topic – so obviously a fantastic way to get in front of not only a targeted market, but a targeted topic and conversation.

Going above and beyond this fact, posts with hashtags are proven to get two times the amount of exposure!

So that is Hashtag 101 – go out there and create your first one and share it with the team and I @thegoagency using the hashtag #myfirsthashtag.

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5 Ways to Effectively Manage Your LinkedIn Group

30May

In my last post I discussed how to setup your own custom LinkedIn Group in order to market your business effectively.  Hopefully by now you have used the step-by-step instructions to get your very own LinkedIn Group off the ground.

But now what?

You’ve probably started some discussions, sent out a few invitations…but isn’t there more to it?

There sure is!

Here are the top 5 things you need to know to effectively manage your LinkedIn Group to foster growth and engagement:

1.  Check in Daily.  Log into your group once a day and click on the Manage tab.  Take a look at the Submission Queue, Moderation Queue and Requests to Join.  If you have your Group settings configured in such a way that you have to approve all new members, comments, discussions, promotions, etc (which I highly recommend) it is important to check in consistently in order to keep the conversation going and your audience interested.

2.  Use Your Templates.  In the Manage section, look on the left hand side and click on the Templates link.  This page will help you create, manage and automatically send custom messages to people interested in your group when they ask to join and once they are approved!  Make sure to add your other social media links, weblinks and maybe even a special offer to your templates to increase your visibility.

3.  Set the Rules.  In the Manage page, you will also see the Group Rules link.  It is important to set the rules of your group in order to best suit your market.  For example, if you do not want people hocking their wares or posting job vacancies all the time – set this in stone by stating this in your Group Rules.

4.  Send Announcements!  One of the most under utilized tools in LinkedIn  Groups is Announcements.  As a Group Manager will have the ability to send announcements once a week (or every 7 days).  Make sure that they are group related: either a promotion, discussion or an update that you feel is important.  Remember, if you abuse this people will leave the group just as they would opt-out of an email blast that turns spammy.

5.  Keep Track of Your Statistics.  Conveniently hidden and hard to find, the LinkedIn Group statistics page is very helpful in terms of you getting more familiar with the demographics of your custom Group.  When in your Group, click on the “More…” tab and select “Group Statistics” from the drop-down menu.  You will see helpful items such as Summary, Demographics, Growth and Activity.  By monitoring these trends you can see how you can improve your group, enhance engagement and attract better quality members.

Now your homework is to login to LinkedIn and explore these items in your LinkedIn Group today.  Write some templates, send an announcement and check out your statistics.  These 5 items will help you get that extra benefit from LinkedIn Groups that many don’t take advantage of.  Let me know how you get on!

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How to Create Your Own Custom LinkedIn Group

24May

When you are marketing your business (or yourself) on LinkedIn, there are numerous outlets for you to utilize: your profile, your updates, your connections and your groups to name a few.

I’ve written before about the power of LinkedIn Groups to enhance your credibility and visibility on LinkedIn.  They truly are powerhouses for not only getting hits to your website, but also for you to directly connect with influential people and potential customers.

But you don’t have to simply join someone else’s group – you can start your own!

If you have opened and completed your LinkedIn profile, you have the ability to create your own membership group, branded to your niche with you in the driver’s seat.

Where do you start and how do you do it?

Here are some straight-forward tips on how to create the perfect LinkedIn Group for your business, quickly and efficiently:

1. Your Group and Your Purpose.  You should create your LinkedIn Group around the subject matter of your business and topics your target consumer would be interested in.  For example, we have The Go! Healthcare Marketing Insider (you can join here).  One of the sectors we service at The Go! Agency is the healthcare market.  So we created the group to interest healthcare organizations by sharing discussions related directly to using marketing to build their business online.

2.  Create a Name and Logo.  All LinkedIn Groups have a name and logo, so you will need to create one.  There are many free logo services available, just Google them.  Make sure your logo has the same look and feel as your company logo and the Group name reflects both your company and the Group itself.  Make sure not to use your own company name as the name of the Group  as it will confuse people.  They may think this a company related membership Group?

3.  Register Your Group.  Go into LinkedIn and click on the Groups tab.  On the next screen you will see a link to “Create a Group”.  Click on this and fill out the form supplied.   Make sure to fill it in completely and use as many keywords as you can.  This will enable you to be found when someone is searching for a group with your subject matter.

4.  Post Discussions.  To get the ball rolling, post three or four discussions.  Get your other co-workers to start a few as well.  The more content that you add to your Group   initially will enhance the amount of conversion once you begin to invite people to join.

5.  Start Inviting!  When you click on your Group, click next on the “Manage” tab.  On the left hand side you will see “Send Invitations”.  This will enable you to send invitations in batches to your LinkedIn connections.  Want to promote via Facebook, Twitter or the main LinkedIn feed?  Click the “Share” button on the top right of your group at any time.

And you are off!  Now you have your own LinkedIn membership Group which will enable you to market in many new ways.  In the next post I’ll explain how you can effectively market and manage your group for the best results possible!

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“I Have Enough Sales – I Don’t Need Social Media” – Why Social Media Marketing is Not All About Sales

23May

One thing I hear again and again at trade shows, speaking engagements, consultations and even on sales calls is the statement “I have enough sales, I don’t need social media.”

This statement is one that I completely understand.  If the sales were pouring in using traditional marketing methods, why would you go for social media marketing? But in many cases when I ask a few more questions I find out that these companies are relying 100% on word-of-mouth and have a very minimal online presence (many times without even a website).

When I hear this, my first thought is that they are missing the power of having a website to stake their online territory.  This creates a strong sense of credibility and can be used to convert those on the fence who may think that you are a fly-by-night operation.  People are strongly influenced by the online marketplace, so not being there at all leaves you without an influence.

Oh, and by the way, over 60% of US consumers go online for information when ready to purchase.

But let’s go beyond that and focus on social media marketing.

As the sales and marketing world evolves, online conversations using social media will be more and more influential – especially if you are interested in having your company be competitive in 10 years time.

If you are still using only one marketing method, which isn’t online, your business could be at risk in the next decade.

Social media marketing is not all about sales, as many people think or choose to focus on.  There are many opportunities that social media presents that are crucial and influential to not only business development, but also effective marketing.

Here are just 5 outcomes that are generated through social media that will be beneficial to your business:

1.  Branding. Customers like to touch and feel a company that they are deciding which company to choose and social media lets them understand the nuances of your company.  This includes your imagery, your logo, your mission statement, your….you!  Social media also brands you as cutting-edge, especially if you are in an industry that is a late adopter to the social media realm.

2.  Customer Service.  Now repeat after me: bad comments are not the end of the world.  If you are not using social media to see what your consumers are saying and managing those conversations you are missing a MAJOR customer service function.  Saying that you don’t care or just deleting their comments may work now, but in the near future you may not be able to do this.  Negative comments can be turned into powerful public relations opportunities.

3.  Media Coverage and Community Exposure.  No matter where you are located and what your market is, odds are that you local media and local community associations are involved in some way with social media.  This will give you access to local and national media outlets as well as other influential local sources (such as Chambers of Commerce, etc).

4.  Competitive Edge. By looking at your market on social, you will see competitors and what they are doing.  And guess what – if they are there and you are not, then they are scooping up your online market share.

5.  Credibility.  Social media enables you to brand yourself and your company as an expert or thought-leader in your industry. Credibility is so important no matter what you do, so by developing your company as a source of valuable information you will not only be winning favor in the long run, but also business.

So as you can see, social media marketing is about more than just selling.  You can generate a wide array of marketing outcomes that will not only help your business continue to be competitive, but set you up for continued online success.

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My Social Media Company Did What?! 10 Questions to Ask a Social Media Marketing Company Before You Hire Them

22May

Yesterday something happened that spurred me on to write this article and help protect other businesses.  I had a sales call scheduled with the owner of a beauty company.  They reached out to us, gave us some initial information and we decided via email it would be best to connect “live” to learn more about what they wanted.

Before the call, as always, I did my due diligence in order to have some specific ideas for the client about how we can help them use social media marketing more effectively.  I noticed that the owner was not clearly visible on the social media sites provided, but thought nothing of it and just wrote it down as something to discuss during the call.

So I rang in and asked to speak with my contact regarding a social media marketing campaign for the company.  The secretary I spoke with instantly sounded confused and told me that the person I was asking for was their social media manager, not the owner.

Ok, maybe there was some breakdown in the communication, right?

No.  She then told me that my contact was the social media marketing firm that they were OUTSOURCING their social media marketing campaign to.

My thought?  “So let me get this straight.  You are outsourcing your social media marketing campaign to a “social media marketing company” who in effect is saying that they are the owner of your business and actively searching for a social media marketing provider to outsource to?”

As you can imagine, this sent the real owner of the business into a tailspin, trying to piece the story together.  But in the end he found out the truth. He was getting mismanaged and swindled.

This makes me sick to my stomach as these types of individuals and companies sully our industry and make social media marketers look like we earned our business acumen in a back alley and all work out of our bedrooms.

I share this story not to scare you, but to wake you up.  You need to protect your business’s reputation and in order to do so, here are a few questions to ask your potential social media marketing partner.

  1. Do you do all of the work in-house, or do you work with partners during the delivery process?
  2. How much of the marketing work on the accounts is automated?  Can you give me a percentage?
  3. How many people will be working on my account and have access to my passwords?
  4. Will you be monitoring my brand through the social media channels you are using?
  5. Do you have heads of department to oversee different elements (head of campaign, head of SEO, etc)?
  6. How much time per day/week will you be working on my account?
  7. Are all of your workers in one location?
  8. Are your team members full-time or part-time?
  9. In your opinion, what sets your company apart from other social media marketing firms?
  10. Can I have 3-5 past/current clients that I can speak with about your service?

These questions should get you off to a great start.  Obviously you want to also ask questions about the campaigns (and how they work), but the questions above should enable you figure out how credible they are.  Remember – go with your gut.  Go with someone you trust or have a good feeling about.  If you have distinct reservations, beware.

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