I challenge you …..

I came across a great discussion, Ernest Hemingway was challenged to write a story in 6 words, now it’s very debatable if he had anything at all to do with the story, but it’s a great conversation starter, can you describe  your life in 6 words?

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Using Hashtags # on Facebook

Did you know that your # on Facebook will now create a clickable link, and when you click the link you will see a live feed of people that have used that #.

It’s a brilliant way for people to find conversations that interest them, but as a marketer please bear in mind that posting loads of hashtags is likely to irritate your followers, as many are not overly happy about # moving into Facebook.

But they are a great way to extend your reach, by sharing the hastags on Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn.

They can be a great way to promote an event , a coupon or a contest too.  Remember the # wont link to a page, but a feed, it’s just a way to create awareness.

Like all hashtags capital letters are not relent, it must all be one word (e.g. #facebookhashtag) and don’t stuff your posts with them, that’s just going to peeve people off.

Are you using them? And how?

Are you afraid, so blind to trying something new?

Day two in Wales, and we were completing an exercise on high ropes, with one person blindfolded, while the other person had to leave them around the course.

Apart from the very, very comical moments here are a few lessons that I took away from the day.

When you are leading someone else, especially on a new task that they may be afraid of (this may be at work, a new piece of software for instance) you really need very clear communication skills, by this I mean the ability to anticipate every single step and understand within a trip up in the learning process. I’m often not the best teacher, some not very good at communicating detail, it was very impressive to watch a young teacher  (Bec’s) yesterday taking Phill around the course, who was blindfolded and petrified. Bec’s kept her tone calm, and gave them as much detail as he required to giving back safely to the starting point.

The second thing I learnt (and I have known this for some time) is how fear makes us completely illogical, to complete the exercise everybody is in safety harnesses that tasted rigorously, which is so feel like you’re going to fall off the ropes.

It was a gentle reminder to me that when I’m teaching my clients about social media, many of them are fearful and just because I have had used social media for years now, I can’t expect them to have the same attitude towards it is as I do.

Could fear of new things should never ever stop you from trying them, like yesterday it was amazing to watch how proud everybody was on completing the task and how much fun they had learning a grand new skill.

Sailing today, and looking out my window it looks like rain.

Speak soon had a brilliant day.

Your intrepid or perhaps insipid reporter , reporting from the Welsh Valleys

A great example of how to use LinkedIn

Here is a great example of someone following the right conversations, and by not selling but offering help, Steve a printer, I think will get a number of new clients.

The discussion started on Charity UK on LinkedIn, as you can see someone wanted help with creating a charity sponsorship pack, Steve offered to send her a few samples, as he mentioned, he had printed a number of them for charities over the years,  and immediately one person said, great, and let’s talk printing too…. followed by 4 others, please send details to me too Steve.

Know your clients pain, it’s not about selling its about solving someone’s problem.  Steve could now use the chance to send out information to charities about helping them with Sponsorship packs, Ifthe conversation has such great traction here, I am sure its an issue many charities have.

Use LinkedIn well

 

Key tips and Quotes for you as a digital marketer.

I thought I would share a list of key insights and quotes from the Technology For Marketing and Advertising show in London a few days ago. There were some excellent speakers, and a couple who got it wrong, treating the chance to speak as a sales pitch. (the same thing happens on line, and it really irritates me there too)

Here are a few quotes, facts and figures I picked up from a presentation by Marketo.

• The biggest pain that marketers have with any marketing, including Social, is knowing how to measure ROI.
• A point of pain for about 30% of marketers is creating content.
• Marketers want to use Social Media to send out targeted messages, monitor their brand reputation and to find and engage with brand fans.
• 2 new members join Linked In every second …. WOW!
• 40% of purchases are driven by Pinterest.
• There are 32 billion brand name twitter searches daily.  (more than on Google)

Love your Fans

Pay attention to people who share your information, find a way to reward them, perhaps give them extra content, or let them get it earlier, tickets to an event … but reward them and help them love you and keep sharing your updates.

Just one report = loads of articles!

You can take a white paper that you have, turn it into a few social marketing  ideas, from a presentation on slideshare, an infographic, an ebook etc. It’s about turning your existing marketing capital into Social Content, not about creating social content.

Some Facebook facts

• “We see the best results for our Facebook promoted posts on a Tuesday – and the best engagement comes from promoted posts that have a great graphic”
• We have measured our advertising and our social updates, we always get better results from social, people trust it more.
• Edgerank on Facebook is measured by Time , Weight (that’s how relevant they think it is to you based on your previous searches) and affinity (how often a person has liked your posts, shared them etc)

Adapt or Die will be coming next week.

A very exciting Facebook tool

Splashpost …

I came across this great tool for Facebook today allowing you to create multimedia Facebook posts that will enable you to “easily promote and advertise your products, consulting services or solutions right inside your News Feed.”

Looks really easy to use and very cost effective

have a look and of course tell us if you use it.

Networking with a blindfold and earplugs never works!

I have noticed a bigger than ever trend for companies and individuals from companies setting up profiles on one or another of the social channels, then using tools to send out automated information, or setting up a discussion, and never returning to manage it.

I think the increase comes with the sudden realisation some businesses have, that Social Media is now an essential part of a marketing mix. Social Media is not, has never been about messages .. it’s about interaction, listening and research.

I was sitting at a meeting last week and a person said, Social Media, oh I have a lady to do that for me, she send out tweets and adds updates to linked in. They were so proud. Of what?

Simply automating a message to go out once in a while, is like going to a network meeting, putting on a blindfold, a pair of ear muffs, walking in… speaking very loudly at anyone who will listen to you, shoving a business card in front of them, then leaving.

Its people you are trying to talk to, to understand so you can make better offerings. Its all about understanding your target markets pains so you can innovate, it’s about building long term relationships with customers (old and new) and it’s about sharing great and relevant content that people can learn from.

Now before you all shoot me down, there is nothing wrong with a bit of automation, it’s a fantastic part of the Social Media marketing process, but it is not Social Media!

I know people are often time poor, so want help, by all means get help, after all I help loads of my clients, but make sure that you are plugged in, checking in daily, have alerts for phrases, train your helper on what they need to watch out for, and if you start a discussion, please be present.

Don’t be the idiot at the networking meeting … with the blindfold on and earplugs in, you can’t hear that everybody left the meeting, and guess what they won’t be inviting you back again.