5 Ways to Effectively Manage Your LinkedIn Group

30May

LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized

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

By Christopher Tompkins

24May

LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized

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

By Christopher Tompkins

23May

Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized

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

By Christopher Tompkins

22May

Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Pinterest, Social Media, Twitter, Uncategorized

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.

Do you do all of the work in-house, or do you work with partners during the delivery process?
How much of the marketing work on the accounts is automated? Can you give me a percentage?
How many people will be working on my account and have access to my passwords?
Will you be monitoring my brand through the social media channels you are using?
Do you have heads of department to oversee different elements (head of campaign, head of SEO, etc)?
How much time per day/week will you be working on my account?
Are all of your workers in one location?
Are your team members full-time or part-time?
In your opinion, what sets your company apart from other social media marketing firms?
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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Social Media 101: 8 Steps to Social Media Marketing Success

By Dale Griffen

17May

Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, Uncategorized

Social media has taken the world by storm over the last few years. It not only serves as a great form of public relations for any organization, but as a wonderful way to network, measure your efforts as a business, see what the competition, your peers, and industry leaders are doing. It is a tool to constantly find ways to improve the delivery of services and care you give your clients.

As someone who specializes in the online marketing arena, I meet and chat with people everyday who are interested in using social media to promote their business. But surprisingly many of these people have a major problem in that: they don’t know how to start!

So in this article I want to provide you with a fool- proof step-by-step 101 list to get your social media marketing campaign underway in no time flat!

Step 1: Write Down Your Objectives

The first thing you’ll want to do is identify what you are trying to achieve through using social media to market your company. Keep in mind that more leads or followers is not your only goal. The types of objectives you should be looking at include engaging your current customers/clients, offering better customer service, learning about new services and governmental issues, building brand recognition and getting more local exposure.

Step 2: Know Your Target Market

A social media marketing campaign that is laser focused has the ability to reap better results than a broad shoot campaign. Make a list of 5-10 target markets that you want to hit and keep it handy throughout your campaign. Having this list will help you keep your “eye on the prize”.

Step 3: Look at What Your Competition is Doing on Social Media

Many of us do a competitive analysis when we put together a traditional marketing plan….so be sure to do the same when developing a social media marketing strategy. Usually the easiest way to begin this exercise is to go to the competition’s website and follow their social media links. If you can’t find the links on their website, login to sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and search for their company name. Are they getting lots of comments? Do they use lots of graphics and design elements? Are they posting often? Taking a look at these items can give you good solid ideas of what you need to do.

Step 4: What Are You Going to Say?

This is one of the trickiest things to come by as many organizations don’t have a wealth of available info to share. Make sure you are able to come up with content that is timely, engaging, entertaining, thought provoking and educational. Think out of the box! If I was a healthcare organization, I would go to the website for the medical association that is within my niche and share some of their updates and tips, as they would be relevant and interesting to my audience. Sharing is caring….not stealing! But content is king. People write blogs and post information online so it can be shared!

Step 5: Choose Your Sites

Once Steps 1 through 5 are complete, it is time to choose the social media sites you want to start using in your marketing campaign. Every business is different and some will find success quicker on one site than another. There isn’t a hard/fast rule on this. All sites are evolving and making it easier for businesses to get involved. The playing field has changed greatly over the past years (and even months) and there is a spot for everyone on all social media sites. One thing we suggest that you do today, if you haven’t already, is log on to the ‘Big 3’ – Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (and while you’re at it create accounts with Google+, YouTube, and Pinterest – collectively the ‘Big 6’) and stake your username and piece of ‘online real estate’ before your competition does. (Note – this happens often!)

Step 6: Find a Good Support Site

Search and find a site to help you manage your accounts. There are free sites out there such as HootSuite, TweetDeck, SocialOomph, IFTTT and others that allow you to track, search and even schedule profile updates on the fly. When you create your plan, these sites will make it easier for you to manage your overall campaign.

Step 7: Create a Daily Plan to Ensure Consistency

This strategy is key to a successful social media marketing campaign. Your daily plan should contain a combination of Steps 1-6 and have daily time constraints attached. Make sure you identify who will be the touchpoint for the communications you get as a result of the campaign. For example, if you have a marketing team of 5, decide beforehand who will be in charge of delegation and qualification of the leads, information requests, comments, etc. If you’re doing it alone – start with 20 minutes, using a site you’re comfortable with, say Facebook. When you’ve developed a comfort level on one site, gradually add another.
Step 7A – When you’re on social media sites – remember it’s called ‘social’ for a reason. Act the same way you would at a ‘real-time’ networking event or cocktail party. Show up with a goal of connecting with people who can help your business. Reach out and introduce yourself to people and companies that may be within that target audience. Remember there are wallflowers online too! Just as at a party – know that people like to hear about themselves before they hear about you, be sure to comment on their posts, articles, or blogs and make sure to thank them if they comment on yours! Your goal is to take the conversation offline (away from the party) where you can develop a closer and more synergistic relationship.

Step 8: Create a Form of Measurement

This is tricky, so I would suggest waiting until after your first month of social media marketing. At this point you will be able to see what sorts of results come in: website hits, likes, comments, messages, leads, etc. In social media, we like to look at the acronym R.O.I. as ‘Return Of Influence’ rather than ‘Return On Investment’ – as this IS P.R., just as a billboard, tradeshow, or TV commercial – all are difficult to equate the initial outlay to the number of new sales/clients, however with social media you have the results of your influence (likes, comments, shares, etc). Once you get a handle on this, you will begin to understand what generates the best results. Create a quick spreadsheet and track these measurements on a weekly basis. As all of the sites have wonderful archives, it makes it a cinch to go back through the week’s activity to find what you need. If you are going to use your website to track effectiveness, make sure you have an analytics program installed that can monitor where your traffic comes from. If you don’t, Google Analytics is a free and easy option to use (and the results are carefully tracked).

Now you are on your way! The best part about social media marketing is it is an organic process that can change from time to time. Don’t forget to audit your campaign monthly to see if any of your measures or activities need changing or updating. Staying consistent, organized and informed will help you not only launch effectively, but promote your company and business successfully.

“I don’t have time to do this!” you say. That’s where a social media marketing firm may be of assistance. Spending the time doing it yourself does take away from what you do best. Having an entry level person do it can be tricky, as it IS your reputation they’re handling. Dedicating a higher level person or marketing manager may take them away from other marketing and sales opportunities. Although social media works in conjunction with your operations and marketing team, having them do the day-to-day activities may be more costly than outsourcing.

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Are LinkedIn Groups the Missing Piece of Your LinkedIn Marketing Strategy?

By Christopher Tompkins

15May

LinkedIn, Social Media, Uncategorized

With over 225 million users, my guess is that if you are reading this right now, you are probably have a registered profile on LinkedIn. You have already filled in your details and maybe even registered your company. You have been building your connections and networking, but still haven’t found the key to open the door of opportunity for your business on LinkedIn.

But with between 1 and 800,000 members – are us using LinkedIn Groups?

As I say with social media marketing campaigns, the key is to have a blog on your website. The key with LinkedIn success is being actively involved in LinkedIn groups. Simple as that.

If you have seen LinkedIn groups, joined a few and still not sure what the fuss is about, here are my 5 tips to making a lasting impression, building hits to your website and increasing your visibility with one of the most active markets on LinkedIn.

1. Use Keywords to Find the Right Group. Once again, I’m bringing up the power of keywords. Take your keyword list that you use online to target your consumers and do a “Group Search” on LinkedIn. Take a look at the results and choose the “Very Active” groups with higher group member numbers. This will ensure that you are in a fast moving group that is influential and, well, active. There is nothing worse than being in a group of 1,000 members where no one is talking or engaging.

2. Start Discussions that Link to Your Blogs. If you have a blog on your website, share a sample of the blog as a discussion and link to your blog to read the rest of the article. Make sure that the article is relevant to the group, is not overtly promotional and has value. If you are starting a discussion in a highly active group that is about your latest sale or product promotion, get ready for some backlash.

3. Comment, Like and Share. This is “social” media after all. Make sure that you find articles where you can express YOUR expertise and comment. By commenting, liking or sharing a discussion with your LinkedIn connections you will be getting in front of more people than you can imagine.

4. Use the Group Email Updates. When you join a group, the default setting is to get a Daily Group Digest. When you post a new discussion or comment on an existing discussion, you have the option to click “Send me an email for each new comment”. The wonderful aspect of LinkedIn is that you can follow and respond via your email inbox. This will save time when you don’t want to constant login and logout and then search for the discussion when it gets active or a new topic pops up you want to jump into.

5. Follow Influential Group Members. By clicking on the “Members” tabs within a group you are a member of, you will be able to see “This Week’s Top Influencers”. See who they are and click “Follow” to receive their updates. Watch which topics they post, comment on them, message them privately. Getting in front of influencers will help you gain support while also increasing your visibility.

The capabilities of LinkedIn groups don’t stop there, but it is where we will stop today. By using the above, you can take your LinkedIn marketing to the next level and generate more interest in your company, visibility for your profile and hits to your website. Join our LinkedIn group, The Go! Healthcare Marketing Insider by clicking here!

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Why Your Boss Doesn’t Understand the Value of Social Media Marketing

By Christopher Tompkins

8May

Social Media, Uncategorized

Like me, I’m sure that you have an interest in social media marketing – whether active or passive. You are eager to learn more about how it works and learning the value it would have in setting your own marketing plan alight!

You are seeing how your direct competition are using social media effectively and feel a bit left behind. You feel like your company is cutting-edge is every other marketing category, but see yourself as a dinosaur in the social media sphere.

If any of these reactions are ones that you have had – rest assured that you are not alone. For example, when potential clients call us convinced that our social media marketing campaign will elevate their status online, their boss is always the one sticky point in getting the campaign off of the ground.

What’s funny about this scenario is that I have been on both ends of the table: the employee trying to convince the superior, and the superior trying to be convinced by the employee. I’ve experienced how my intent has shifted when I crossed the desk and had to make smart decisions about risk for my company.

What I have learned about this change from marketer to CEO is there are different aspects I am more focused on when one of my employees presents a marketing idea. For example, if they tell me that we need to create promotional magnets for my company, they need to really sell me on the value.

Which brings up a great point. ROI. This is something that the boss always wants to hear about. I’m in a different position though due to my marketing background. I know that ROI has many different implications and definitions. For example, the ROI on a direct response advertising campaign versus the ROI of a promotional magnet. Measuring these two against each other would be seemingly impossible for many organizations, no matter how sophisticated their systems are.

What you need to do is show the boss the true ROI of social media. It is more than a dollar for dollar comparison. The outcomes that you get from this investment is more than your boss will be able to grasp. So make it easy, make it solid and make the case!

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Your Social Media Prescription

By Dale Griffen

25Feb

Healthcare Marketing, Uncategorized

Recently, I was honored to be asked to write an article about social media marketing for Doctor’s Life Magazine. You can learn more about Doctor’s Life Magazine by clicking here.

Also – you can view article as it appears in the magazine by clicking here!

As I thought the information in the article could be useful to you, I am sharing the article below. If, after reading, there is anything that I can help you with – contact me directly: dale@gosalesandmarketing.com or toll free: 866-926-2636.

I hope you enjoy!

———————–

Sometimes our patients put off (or are afraid of) a visit to the doctor or dentist’s office. They know they should do it, but they procrastinate for one reason or another. Are you doing the same by putting off your ‘appointment’ with social media?

If you think it’s a passing fad, or may not be relevant to the healthcare field – think again. Here’s a test – think of the top 5 influencers or hospitals out there in your field. Now type in a search for “(Their Name) on Facebook (or Twitter)”. I bet you find almost all of them there, AND I bet that they have a decent following, as well as daily activity on their account. Let’s take that a step further – go and search for your competition on Facebook and see what they’re up to – you may be surprised.
But….how can you market yourself and your practice on social media? How can it help your business? How much time do you need to devote to it? Is your client base on social media?

If you would like answers to these questions, read on!

Channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, and even Pinterest can have exponential benefits for your practice, give you the ability to educate your peers and patients, gain trust and approachability, and be positioned as a thought leader in your field.

Social media is a 24/7, worldwide, online, professional cocktail party. To effectively “work the room”, you need to show up to the party with a goal: perhaps of meeting potential referral sources, patients, or other revenue streams. Then proactively introduce yourself to lots of targeted people. You need to approach them with a sincere interest in them, asking them questions – not approaching them with a ‘pitch’ about yourself (because people like to hear about themselves first!)…then keep them engaged, make them laugh, give them something to remember you by. After the party you need to follow up and continue the conversation after the party.
Social media is very much the same – to be effective, you need to know what your goals are. Develop a list keywords and phrases that your potential referral source or patient would type into a search to find you. Then go out and ‘Like’, connect, and follow individuals, companies, or groups that you feel would be of benefit to you (or lead you to a potential client).

Next, start the conversation. Depending on the platform(s) you decide to use – ‘Like’ their page, comment on a post, or feature they have that you truly like. Talk about what they do first. Share a post of theirs on your social media channels, if you feel it would be of benefit to your followers. Be sure to thank or return the favor to anyone that does the same for you. And remember, just like a cocktail party, it doesn’t all have to be business…a cute picture on a Friday, an invitation to an event you may be hosting, or even talk about a community event if you’re posting locally.

It’s SOCIAL Media – so be SOCIAL! Your goal is to continue the conversation offline in order to get them to remember you and your services when they, or anyone they know, may need them.

Use your social media channels to their full extent. Use any applications that may help your use of these platforms easier. For example, link your Twitter account to your LinkedIn account so that what you post on one, it will automatically post on the other. Be sure to join the max of 50 groups on LinkedIn and post discussions in each group. If a LinkedIn group isn’t very prolific, leave it and join another, until you get to that “perfect” 50. Follow the people that you respect in your industry on Twitter, follow your ‘competition’ to see what they’re up to – stay ahead of the curve, and dominate your digital presence and recognized as a thought leader in your industry!

Now, where do you start? If you don’t have an account with these social media channels – visit their site and sign up. Claim your name before someone else does. Then optimize your profile – fill it out completely. Next, set up a schedule to do your online marketing consistently. Consistency is the most important action you could do with social media marketing!

In terms of the time it takes you (or your staff) to do the marketing, start with a goal of an twenty minutes a day. Maybe start with Facebook, as people are generally comfortable with how this platform works. It’s best to create a business page on Facebook, rather than use your personal page so that you’ll be able to operate it completely separate from that personal page. Then start getting connected! Post content that is educational, entertaining, and engaging. Ask for ‘Likes’, ask people to share the content you post.

What is content? Social media is PR – plain and simple. It’s not sales. Think of it as you would a billboard, but a billboard with muscle! It’s recommended to have less than 10 words on a billboard, and people spend about 3 seconds whizzing by it on their commute to work, before they start to ignore it (and that’s if they even notice it to begin with). Those with Facebook accounts, on average, spend nearly 8 hours per month on the site, much more than they spend looking at a billboard. Some other key differences are that the messages you post can be changed several times per day, have as many words as necessary, include images, links, your hours and directions to your office. Also, the messages are portable. So if a reader sees something they think would be valuable to someone across the country (or the world) they can share it with the push of a button! You can also get a pulse of what people want to hear about by listening and observing your competition, your peers, and respected industry leaders, and also by asking!

“But my client demographic isn’t on social media”. Wrong! It’s not just Generation X, Y, and Z that use social media! The largest growing users of social media are the 55+ group – the Baby Boomers and many of them are using it for their parents (incidentally called the Silent Generation) to find out more about everything from healthcare to what their peers think…and you know that people like to talk! Social media allows them to praise you, or show you where you may need improvement.

“What if someone says something nasty?” Not to worry, you being active on social media won’t increase any negativity, they’re going to say it anyway. But by being present on social media you’ll be able to see any negativity and address it. Having a presence allows you to spin it to your advantage, rather than just leaving it out there to fester. Also, don’t forget your privacy settings! You have the ability to approve posts before they go live on many of the channels.

Afraid of patient privacy, HIPAA, and other regulatory issues? With a simple disclaimer and common sense approach to your social media policy you’re covered! The Mayo clinic has a simple 12 word social media policy: “Don’t Lie, Don’t Pry, Don’t Cheat, Can’t Delete, Don’t Steal, Don’t Reveal”.

“I don’t have time to do this!” That’s where a social media marketing firm may be of assistance. Spending the time doing it yourself does take you away from what you do best. Having an entry level person do it can be tricky, as it IS your reputation they’re handling. Dedicating a higher level person or marketing manager may take them away from other marketing, and sales opportunities. Although social media works in conjunction with your operations and marketing team, having them do the day-to-day activities may be more costly than outsourcing it.

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The Importance of the Facebook “LIKE”

By Dale Griffen

20Feb

Facebook, Uncategorized

When it comes to the wonderful world of the Facebook “LIKE” there are two big differences. You can either click the ‘like’ button on a businesses or person’s page vs. clicking the ‘like’ button below a post, event, or photo. Here’s why both of these are important and have value to the page in question.

Clicking the LIKE button on the upper right-hand side of a Business Page serves two purposes. For a business, this is very important information to them, as it allows them to show the number of followers that they’ve gained utilizing social media, thereby tracking their Social Media ROI (Rate Of Influence). Secondly, although with Facebook’s new algorithm it’s not a guarantee, it most likely will boost the chance that you’ll get updates, event notifications, and a deeper connection with that person or company.

When you ‘like’ a comment or post, you are acknowledging that you saw, read, empathize, or agree with what someone posted. Doing so makes the poster feel good, knowing that their comment has impacted someone, and it lets that person know that you are interested. People and businesses that pay attention will then post more information based on what people ‘like’ or comment on. It’s all about engagement here.

The other two things you can do to help are to ‘comment’ and/or ‘share’ their Page or Posts with your followers. As ‘likes’ aren’t always shown in your news feed – shares and comments are. This is the Social part of Social Media. If you know someone that might like, benefit, or be able to help the person or business you’re following – click those little buttons! You can also share privately. Don’t be a social media ‘lurker’ – let people know what you think! (But make sure to be courteous!)

While we are talking about “likes” another topic to throw out there is two surefire ways to make sure that you see all of the posts from the pages that you HAVE liked in the past.

The first is clicking the “get notifications” button. To get ‘notifications’ (where the little globe at the top right of your page lets you know the number of new notifications to your Facebook account) make sure you ‘like’ the person or page – then hover over the name, then the ‘liked’ or ‘friends’ button and click ‘get notifications’.

The second way to keep abreast with your liked pages is to create an interest page – go to the ‘Add Interests’ button at the very bottom of the left column of your home page (you may have to click the ‘more’ button). Click ‘create list’.

Either click people, businesses, or categories you want on that list (or enter them in the search bar) and click next – then name your list, select a privacy setting, and then ‘done’. So that your list isn’t living at the bottom of the page – hover next to the named list, and click the pencil – then click ‘favorites’. Your list is now up at the top of your home page under your picture.

P.S. – Although this article is about ‘the power of ‘like’ you do not have to ‘like’ a person or page to subscribe to them in a list.

You can share your lists with your followers by going to the list, click ‘home’ > ‘interests’ > ‘more’ > , then ‘share’ up top.

And finally – on your own page or profile, don’t be afraid to ask people to share, comment, and/or ‘like’ your posts. Sometimes we all need a reminder!

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Social Media 101: Where Do I Start?

By Christopher Tompkins

9Jan

Social Media, Uncategorized

As someone who specializes in the online marketing arena, I meet and chat with people everyday who are interested in using social media to market their business. Not a big surprise right? But what you might be surprised to learn, is many of these medium-to-large firms have a major problem: they don’t know how to start.

While social media marketing advice can be found on every corner of the internet, most of it doesn’t address this problem or offer ways to enhance or “reinvigorate” an existing campaign.

So in this article I want to push aside the “Go Get ‘Em Tiger”s and technical mumbo jumbo and provide you with a fool proof step-by-step 101 list to get your social media marketing campaign underway in no time flat!

Let’s dive right in:

Step 1: Write Down Your Objectives

The first thing you’ll want to do is really identify what you are trying to achieve through using social media to market your company. Keep in mind that more leads is not your only goal. Think about possible objectives such as; engaging your current customers/clients, offering better customer service, building brand recognition, getting more local exposure….these are the types of objectives that you should be looking at.

Step 2: Know Who Your Target Market Is

A social media marketing campaign that is laser focused has the ability to reap better results than a broad shoot campaign. You don’t want to waste time here wading through unqualified leads….you want the real deal. Make a list of 5-10 target markets that you want to hit and keep it handy throughout your campaign. Having this list will help you keep your “eye on the prize”.

Step 3: Look at What Your Competition is Doing on Social Media

Many of us do a competitive analysis when we put together our marketing plan….so why don’t we do one when we are developing our social media marketing strategy? Usually the easiest way to begin this exercise is to go to their website and follow their social media links from there. If you can’t find the links there, login to sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and search for their company name. When you find them, see what they are doing and if it is successful. Are they getting lots of comments? Do they use lots of graphics and design elements? Are they posting often? Taking a look at these items can even give you good solid ideas of what you need to do…and what you don’t need to.

Step 4: What Are You Going to Say?

This is one of the trickiest things to come by as many organizations don’t have a wealth of available info to share. If your company does – the battle is nearly over! If not, it has just begun. Make sure that you are able to come up with content that is timely, engaging, entertaining, thought provoking and educational…or one of those 5. Also, think out of the box! If I was a healthcare organization, I would go to the website for the medical association that is within my niche and share some of their updates and tips, as they would be relevant and interesting to my audience. Sharing is caring….not stealing! But content is king folks.

Step 5: Choose Your Sites

Once Steps 1 thru 5 are complete, it is time to choose the social media sites you want to start using in your marketing campaign. Every business is different and some will find success quicker on one site than the next. There isn’t a hard/fast rule on this (while many say there is). All of the sites are constantly evolving and making it easier for businesses to get involved everyday. The playing field has changed greatly over the past years (and even months!) and there is a spot for everyone on all of the social media sites out there.

Step 6: Find a Good Support Site

Search and find a site to help you manage your accounts. There are free sites out there such as HootSuite, TweetDeck, SocialOomph and others that allow you to track, search and even schedule profile updates on the fly. When you create your plan, these sites will make it a little easier for you to manage your overall campaign.

Step 7: Create a Daily Plan to Ensure Consistency

Plans save time and money and ensure consistency, which is key in a successful social media marketing campaign. Your daily plan should contain a combination of Steps 1-6 and have daily time constraints attached. Also make sure that you identify who will be the touchpoint for the communications that you get as a result of the campaign. For example if you have a marketing team of 5, decide beforehand who will be in charge of delegation and qualification of the leads, information requests, comments, etc.

Step 8: Create a Form of Measurement

This is tricky, so I would suggest waiting until after your first month of social media marketing. At this point you will be able to see what sorts of results come in: website hits, likes, comments, messages, leads, etc. Once you get a handle on this, you will begin to understand what gives you the best results. Create a quick spreadsheet and track these measures on a weekly basis. As all of the sites have wonderful archives, it makes it a cinch to go back through the week’s activity to find what you need. If you are going to use your website to track effectiveness, make sure that you have an analytics program installed that can monitor where your traffic comes from. If you don’t, Google Analytics is a free and easy option to use (and the results are tracked wonderfully).

And you are on your way! The best part about social media marketing is that it is an organic process that can change from time to time. Don’t forget to audit your campaign monthly to see if any of your measures or activities need changing or updating. Staying consistent, organized and informed will help you not only launch effectively, but promote your brand successfully.

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Tag : social media marketing

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