Tag: social media marketing

The new social media

This is a guest post by Jeremy Chandler, social media director at Souls 4 Souls, a charity that collects shoes and distributes them around the world.  Jeremy is all over Twitter and Facebook.

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Let’s go back a few years to when you first started noticing the potential social media could have (circa 2006). Back to the days when the idea of creating a community of friends in a digital world excited you.  Remember the days you actually had to ask someone if they were on Facebook?

 

Social Media not only connected us with friends from high school and new acquaintances, but people around the world who shared our same interests. It was a new and easy way for us to bond together for something greater than ourselves. With social media, we had the power of a new collaborative technology to impact the world in a way we never had before. People were joining together on sites like Facebook Causes to partner together to make a greater impact in the world. And it was awesome.

 

Since then, there’s been a shift of sorts in the fundamental thinking about social media. As more and more people are getting into it, the less “social” it is becoming. Over time, the chance to become a social media rock star has captivated our focus & intentions. It’s become more about the “me” than about the “we”.

The problem is that we’ve forgotten what made these elements so intriguing in the first place.

 

Think about it this way, when someone gives you a compliment in front of their friends in person, you don’t repeat what they just said about you or pull them off to the side & whisper thanks in their ear. Yet, in social media, we are quick to retweet nice words someone has said about us or send them a direct message saying thanks. I’m just as guilty as the next guy.

When we stop being social, we lose what this new media is all about. We’ve forfeited an opportunity to make a real difference in the world.

There is still hope. Jon Acuff has worked hard to develop his platform, but decided to use it to make a tangible difference in the lives of kids in India & Africa. TwitChange is an organization that is leveraging the fame celebrity twitter accounts have accrued to help nonprofits increase their impact.

So what does this mean for us? As social media continues to develop, no matter if its Facebook or Twitter or Quora, may we never forget the reason social media became so popular in the first place, and carefully guard against forfeiting something bigger than ourselves to make our name big.

What advice do you have about guarding yourself from social “ME”dia?

Have you seen how social media has become all about “Me”?

 

How to use Social Media to drive Blog Traffic

Ever wondered how you can use Facebook or Twitter to drive traffic back to your blog or website?

If this is the question you’re asking, then I hate to burst your bubble, but you’re asking the wrong question.  You’re starting off on the wrong foot with your approach to social media.  Because social media is about giving, not getting.  And when you approach an outpost (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) as a means to an end, social media folks can sniff you out a mile away.  And they’ll quit following you.

But I do think that, utilized well, social media outposts can help drive traffic to your blog.  And providing potential readers/customers (depending on the goal of your site) with information on how to better reach your site can be a great form of customer service.  But how do you use them to effectively drive traffic to your site?

What you should do

  1. Remember: social media is about giving, not getting. Be generous with ideas, quotes, stories, and praise of others.  If you’re using outposts as a means to simply drive traffic flow to your blog or website, your voice becomes a noise that people will tune out.
  2. Post about other things. It’s okay to alert people that you have a new post…but make sure you don’t do that twice (or more) before you update with something other-than your own site.  Don’t be a social media robot, only telling people about your awesome site.  Let us know you’re a real person.
  3. Alert potential readers whether this is a new post or a re-post. Most people don’t mind clicking on a re-post, especially if they haven’t read it already.  But it’s common courtesy to let people know that this post isn’t hot off the press.
  4. Follow-up: if it’s more than 1 day old, it’s not a new post. Social media is rapidly changing and growing.  And if something is more than a day old, it’s hardly considered new.
  5. Use a leading question or statement. Make it a bit provocative.  If all you say is, “New post! Check it out! http://…” then I’m less inclined to click through.  Give me a reason to click the link.
  6. Use a link shortener. It allows you to add in that leading, provocative question, because you’ll have more characters to use.
  7. Read and respond to your followers. Everywhere you post updates, comments, thoughts, and replies, you’re branding yourself.  Because everywhere you do this, you have to login.  And when you leave quality responses, it encourages others to read your posts.
  8. Share.  Share.  Share. Have I mentioned that social media is more about giving than getting?  Your generosity and encouragement encourages the same in others.

What you should not do

  1. Don’t just talk about your site. If all of your updates are links back to your site, it feels like you’re not entering the conversation, but that all you care about is padding your own site’s stats.  It smacks of self-centeredness.  And, like I said above, nobody likes a social media robot.
  2. Don’t post an outpost update more than twice, linking back to the same blog post. It may sound confusing, I know.  But all I mean is that if you post the same link on Facebook or Twitter more than twice, you’re going to drive traffic away from your site.  At least in the long-run.  I think it’s fine to post twice, but if you do it more, you seem to be reaching.
  3. Don’t be a sneaky ninja. Posting two completely different thoughts on Twitter that each link back to the same blog post, causing me to click through twice…not cool, my friend.  Nobody likes being duped.

Have you found that social media outposts drive traffic to your site?

Have you found yourself frustrated by those who publicize their site too much?

 

Online effectiveness

I read a lot of blogs.  And I think that blogs will continue to become an increasingly respected source for opinion, information, and idea sharing.  Because no form of print media has the ability to impact as many people globally, in such a short time, as blogs.

But for the blogger that’s just getting started, or the company that’s looking to expand their influence and effectiveness, what should they be doing?  Here are some essentials, for both on and off your site.

Off of your site

1. Read other blogs. Although each blog has its unique twists, there’s a generally accepted format.  You pick this up the more you read other blogs.  In addition to formatting and styling, when you read blogs in your niche, you’ll notice trends, and what your readers care about.  You may think you know what makes your audience tick…but you also may be surprised by what bigger bloggers are saying.  And trust me, if they’re a big blogger, they’re doing research to know what posts will drive traffic to their site.

2. Comment on other blogs. And don’t just say, “Nice post!”  Interact on sites you like.  The more you do this, the more you will build your platform (your online reputation) with your potential audience.

3. Build your online platform on outposts. I’ve stolen this term from Michael Hyatt, and I think it’s helpful.  You don’t own Facebook, Twitter, or FourSquare.  But you use them as outposts, representing yourself there.  You’ve got a unique voice…let it stand out among the rest on outposts.

5. Guest post. If there’s a site you’re learning from, and that you know the readers of your blog enjoy, ask the site owner if you can put a guest post together for them.  Of course, this would be something you’d do for free.  And though it may take you some time to put together a high-quality guest post, the return on investment you’ll see is worth the effort, as you build your online platform with a wider audience.

6. Connect offline. When you get an opportunity, connect with your online friends offline.  Don’t just be a robot.  Let online interactions spur you to build real, in-person relationships.

7. Read voraciously and widely. Don’t just hang out in the blogging world.  Read books.  Magazines.  Journals.  Pamphlets.  Brochures.  The fine print on back of your insurance card.  The more you know, the better blogger you’ll be.

On your site

1. Consistency. Some of your blog posts will hit a homerun…and some will be a pop fly to the catcher.  And that’s ok.  Blogging is, in a sense, an experiment.  The more you do it, the more you’ll know what will work with your audience.  But don’t let a few strike outs keep you from posting again.  Just keep putting your stuff out there.

2. Creativity. Try something different.  Mix up your posting style.  Try posting

  • a series of pictures
  • a video (that’s consistent with your niche)
  • a review of a product you’ve tried
  • a guest post
  • a praise of another site
  • a story from your childhood
  • a list of resources you use
  • a series of posts on ‘how-to’ do what you do
  • a question that helps people interact
3. Value. You need to be consistently posting, but to be successful, your posts need to add value to your specific readers.  If your audience is primarily young pastors, then posts with just pictures of your children probably won’t add much value.  However, if you’re a ‘mommy blogger,’ posts with pictures could be your m.o.  Knowing your audience is key.
Do you have a new site?

Have you found other ways to be effective?
 

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