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xo,
Mary
mary@marypetto.com
http://www.marypetto.com
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Social Networking on Vacation in 3 Easy Steps
We all need a break once in a while, but your social media strategy really ought to be contuing even if you’re on the other side of the world, feet in the sand, drink in your hand. But if the rest of the social media world goes on without you, how do you not skip a beat? Well with a little planning and some free ninja-trick application shopping, you’re good to go!
Step 1: APPLICATION SHOPPING: If you’re not in on this secret, you’re just going to love me! Did you know there are web-based social media management applications that allow you to not only permanently search and monitor your industry within social media platforms and post from there, but that also allow you to schedule your posts, tweets, status updates, etc. for a future date and time? There are some that are free and others with fantastic analytics capabilities that you’ll appreciate for sure with a price tag attached. My two favorites are HootSuite (free) and Objective Marketer (fee-based). Once you find one you like, sign up and play!
Step 2: POST PLANNING: While of course your posting strategy is always mapped out in advance (isn’t it?), a few days before your bags are packed, plan out the types of tweets and updates you would post if you weren’t going away. Consider what is happening at your company, in the industry, or promotions you have going on. Here are some examples for a local business owner vacationing July 3 – July 10:
Facebook:
Day one- 1 fun store happening post
Day two- 1 holiday message/office hours
Day three- 1 promo reminder
1 funny staff member quote
Day four- 1 how-to link
1 industry bite
Day five- 1 promo reminder, etc. etc.
Twitter:
Day one- 2 local happenings posts
4 following re-tweets
Day two- 3 holiday info re-tweets
Day three- 1 promo reminder
2 industry content links
4 re-tweets, etc., etc.
Step 3: SETUP, SEARCH, and SCHEDULE:
Log in to your chosen social media management app for your vacation posting. Start typing up your originally-authored posts and schedule accordingly throughout the vacation week. Remember not to neglect any of the networks you are active on, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ping, etc. You can even automate your WordPress blog posts and Foursquare updates with HootSuite.
Most apps have a search box for industry content posts and retweets. Simply search on a phrase and all recent posts with that phrase will show in a column (that you can—and should—make it a permanent search column if it’s relative to your business). Select content you want to share and schedule it! Select tweets to re-tweet and then schedule each one!
While this strategy is fantastic for keeping your business in the loop and staying in the newsfeeds of your followers, it’s a good idea to take a peek at your notifications halfway through your trip or ASAP when you return to make sure you don’t let any un-responded-to engagement opportunities slip past you.
Bon voyage!
Step 1: APPLICATION SHOPPING: If you’re not in on this secret, you’re just going to love me! Did you know there are web-based social media management applications that allow you to not only permanently search and monitor your industry within social media platforms and post from there, but that also allow you to schedule your posts, tweets, status updates, etc. for a future date and time? There are some that are free and others with fantastic analytics capabilities that you’ll appreciate for sure with a price tag attached. My two favorites are HootSuite (free) and Objective Marketer (fee-based). Once you find one you like, sign up and play!
Step 2: POST PLANNING: While of course your posting strategy is always mapped out in advance (isn’t it?), a few days before your bags are packed, plan out the types of tweets and updates you would post if you weren’t going away. Consider what is happening at your company, in the industry, or promotions you have going on. Here are some examples for a local business owner vacationing July 3 – July 10:
Facebook:
Day one- 1 fun store happening post
Day two- 1 holiday message/office hours
Day three- 1 promo reminder
1 funny staff member quote
Day four- 1 how-to link
1 industry bite
Day five- 1 promo reminder, etc. etc.
Twitter:
Day one- 2 local happenings posts
4 following re-tweets
Day two- 3 holiday info re-tweets
Day three- 1 promo reminder
2 industry content links
4 re-tweets, etc., etc.
Step 3: SETUP, SEARCH, and SCHEDULE:
Log in to your chosen social media management app for your vacation posting. Start typing up your originally-authored posts and schedule accordingly throughout the vacation week. Remember not to neglect any of the networks you are active on, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ping, etc. You can even automate your WordPress blog posts and Foursquare updates with HootSuite.
Most apps have a search box for industry content posts and retweets. Simply search on a phrase and all recent posts with that phrase will show in a column (that you can—and should—make it a permanent search column if it’s relative to your business). Select content you want to share and schedule it! Select tweets to re-tweet and then schedule each one!
While this strategy is fantastic for keeping your business in the loop and staying in the newsfeeds of your followers, it’s a good idea to take a peek at your notifications halfway through your trip or ASAP when you return to make sure you don’t let any un-responded-to engagement opportunities slip past you.
Bon voyage!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
5 Steps to Business Building with LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn has been around a long time, in social media years, but has only recently come in on most business’s radar as a tool for networking. Even so, I too often hear “yeah, I’m on LinkedIn, but no one contacts me. It’s just sitting there.” This is music to my ears, of course (ka-ching!), but I would be remiss if I didn’t share how easy it is to leverage the tools presented to you each time you log in. Here are five steps to developing business using my favorite feature, LinkedIn Groups.
Step 1: Find Groups. There are literally thousands of groups to choose from on LinkedIn. Be they industry based, comprised of your target market, or related to your favorite pastime, enter your keywords in the search box using the Groups filter and start investigating.
Step 2: Join Groups. Well, yes, it’s just the click of a button (and with some groups a waiting period for approval), but be sure to join groups that have a lot of members, think 1,000 or more. Also look at recent discussions to determine whether the group is active.
Step 3: Listen. Keep your group notifications settings at weekly or more frequently if you can handle it. When new discussions are posted, you’ll be notified by email. See what people are talking about and how they’re talking. Who’s talking? Are they people you’d like to reach out to?
Step 4: Engage. Find opportunities to add your two cents to group discussions. This is an opportunity to show off your expertise (humbly, of course), and it gets your name out there. Each time you comment, a link to your profile is available for others to click, so be sure to have that completed to 100%.
Step 5: Connect. Once you have a group in common with a potential connection, the connection process is much smoother. First, because LinkedIn gives you a check-off box for groups you have in common when you fill out the connections request form, and, second, because it gives you a starting point for conversation. Note: Always make your message to the potential connection personal and phrase your request in the form of a question.
Feel free to contact me for assistance or with further questions. My door is always open!
Step 1: Find Groups. There are literally thousands of groups to choose from on LinkedIn. Be they industry based, comprised of your target market, or related to your favorite pastime, enter your keywords in the search box using the Groups filter and start investigating.
Step 2: Join Groups. Well, yes, it’s just the click of a button (and with some groups a waiting period for approval), but be sure to join groups that have a lot of members, think 1,000 or more. Also look at recent discussions to determine whether the group is active.
Step 3: Listen. Keep your group notifications settings at weekly or more frequently if you can handle it. When new discussions are posted, you’ll be notified by email. See what people are talking about and how they’re talking. Who’s talking? Are they people you’d like to reach out to?
Step 4: Engage. Find opportunities to add your two cents to group discussions. This is an opportunity to show off your expertise (humbly, of course), and it gets your name out there. Each time you comment, a link to your profile is available for others to click, so be sure to have that completed to 100%.
Step 5: Connect. Once you have a group in common with a potential connection, the connection process is much smoother. First, because LinkedIn gives you a check-off box for groups you have in common when you fill out the connections request form, and, second, because it gives you a starting point for conversation. Note: Always make your message to the potential connection personal and phrase your request in the form of a question.
Feel free to contact me for assistance or with further questions. My door is always open!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Size Doesn't Matter.
I'm talking about Twitter, silly! Businesses jumping on the Twitter info stream, particularly in the beginning, often believe that without a significant number of "followers" they can't make a significant impact. As this platform matures, it is becoming apparent that other factors--such as who your followers are, your posts, and how you build relationships on Twitter--are what really matter as far as your business is concerned.
I present to you an article by Catharine Smith, via The Huffington Post, that proves, scientifically, that the size of your following doesn't really matter:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/07/twitter-followers-number_n_567746.html
I present to you an article by Catharine Smith, via The Huffington Post, that proves, scientifically, that the size of your following doesn't really matter:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/07/twitter-followers-number_n_567746.html
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I Like You, But I’m Not a Fan.
If you’ve got a Facebook fan page for your business, you’ve probably noticed that rather than clicking on “Become a Fan,” your page visitors are now clicking on a button that simply says “Like.” Facebook has done this as part of a much bigger empire-growth scheme that allows them to eventually take over the planet, but within our own smaller agenda of social media engagement, they may have just rocked our world.
It’s good, but it could be bad.
So, from an optimistic standpoint, there is something much less psychologically committal about saying you like something than saying you’re a fan. Apparently, Facebook has already proved this with their market analysis. So that’s good, right? More people seeing our news feed, more people to potentially engage with. My hunch, however, is that many Facebook users aren’t taking it seriously. I can’t tell you how many of my own personal friends are now “becoming fans” of the silliest, most useless, controversial, and downright raw pages. Do they know this is coming up in my news feed? My conclusion is that for the past two years, the action of clicking on “Like” has simply been our way to acknowledge a tongue-n-cheek status update without commenting on it, a way of pointing out that we’ve looked at a picture that was posted, or appreciate someone’s political satire post from a news source. So whereas we business owners and marketers know that this button is just a replacement of the word “Fan,” users overall just don’t recognize the difference.
So it’s bad?
Well, it feels bad. It feels like, at least when it comes to the viral newsfeed phenomenon, Facebook has diluted the power of the fan page and the overall willingness of our fans to ultimately engage with us. My hope is that Facebook users will catch on to the various meanings of the word “Like” throughout the network and adjust back to being more particular about the business pages they want to follow.
Let’s wait and see.
With every change comes opportunity (see last blog post), so let’s work with this. Facebook has given us an opportunity to coin a new term to replace “Become a Fan” in our marketing. I loved this, because it is so actionable! How can we use "Like" in an action statement that doesn’t seem needy? Let’s hear it!
It’s good, but it could be bad.
So, from an optimistic standpoint, there is something much less psychologically committal about saying you like something than saying you’re a fan. Apparently, Facebook has already proved this with their market analysis. So that’s good, right? More people seeing our news feed, more people to potentially engage with. My hunch, however, is that many Facebook users aren’t taking it seriously. I can’t tell you how many of my own personal friends are now “becoming fans” of the silliest, most useless, controversial, and downright raw pages. Do they know this is coming up in my news feed? My conclusion is that for the past two years, the action of clicking on “Like” has simply been our way to acknowledge a tongue-n-cheek status update without commenting on it, a way of pointing out that we’ve looked at a picture that was posted, or appreciate someone’s political satire post from a news source. So whereas we business owners and marketers know that this button is just a replacement of the word “Fan,” users overall just don’t recognize the difference.
So it’s bad?
Well, it feels bad. It feels like, at least when it comes to the viral newsfeed phenomenon, Facebook has diluted the power of the fan page and the overall willingness of our fans to ultimately engage with us. My hope is that Facebook users will catch on to the various meanings of the word “Like” throughout the network and adjust back to being more particular about the business pages they want to follow.
Let’s wait and see.
With every change comes opportunity (see last blog post), so let’s work with this. Facebook has given us an opportunity to coin a new term to replace “Become a Fan” in our marketing. I loved this, because it is so actionable! How can we use "Like" in an action statement that doesn’t seem needy? Let’s hear it!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
I’m Gonna Go Changin'. Sorry, Billy.
For weeks now, Billy Joel’s, “Don’t Go Changin,” has been playing in my head. It sure is irksome, but it’s a constant reminder of the theme of change that has come up repeatedly in my day-to-day meetups.
It is a romantic notion, as Billy meant it to be, but when it applies to business, we better think twice about not changing to please the object of our affection: the customer.
Many businesses still don’t grasp the concept of change, sticking with the “if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it” philosophy. I’ve met with several prospects who thrive on the printed word, an isolated web page, or door-to-door sales, and cannot see why they need to get in on the social media conversation. Without thinking forward to their future customers, who are doing most of their decision making on line within social platforms, they are destined for extinction.
The concept of change has come up with friends and associates as well. Some have become agents of change to seek new career opportunities, build a client base, or even to improve their social life. How? By embracing the social networks that have been introduced to us and harnessing all that they have to offer.
Yes, many fear the unknown: The very public status update. The transparency of our “behind the scenes.” The new culture of telling it (and hearing it) like it is. But changing your mindset means appreciating rather than fearing the new normal--and being liberated by it. It means that your local business is playing on the same field as a national chain. That your customers are bonding with your brand because they like engaging with the new open you. And that, if you’re really good at it, your brand personality is contagious and you go viral.
Your core business doesn’t have to change, nor your guiding principles. Just be open to the new ways business is getting done and how your customers are choosing which brands to be loyal to. You’ve heard it before, but it doesn’t get old, so I’ll close out with it—The company that doesn’t change, dies.
It is a romantic notion, as Billy meant it to be, but when it applies to business, we better think twice about not changing to please the object of our affection: the customer.
Many businesses still don’t grasp the concept of change, sticking with the “if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it” philosophy. I’ve met with several prospects who thrive on the printed word, an isolated web page, or door-to-door sales, and cannot see why they need to get in on the social media conversation. Without thinking forward to their future customers, who are doing most of their decision making on line within social platforms, they are destined for extinction.
The concept of change has come up with friends and associates as well. Some have become agents of change to seek new career opportunities, build a client base, or even to improve their social life. How? By embracing the social networks that have been introduced to us and harnessing all that they have to offer.
Yes, many fear the unknown: The very public status update. The transparency of our “behind the scenes.” The new culture of telling it (and hearing it) like it is. But changing your mindset means appreciating rather than fearing the new normal--and being liberated by it. It means that your local business is playing on the same field as a national chain. That your customers are bonding with your brand because they like engaging with the new open you. And that, if you’re really good at it, your brand personality is contagious and you go viral.
Your core business doesn’t have to change, nor your guiding principles. Just be open to the new ways business is getting done and how your customers are choosing which brands to be loyal to. You’ve heard it before, but it doesn’t get old, so I’ll close out with it—The company that doesn’t change, dies.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Five Cool Things to Do with Your Facebook Fan Page
Taking your company’s Facebook page to the next level doesn’t have to be a challenge. Here are five easy ways to take your business from simply having social media presence to being a relevant and savvy brand.
1. Auto-feed your blog. With Facebook’s NetworkedBlogs app, every time you add a new post to your blog, it lands on your fans’ newsfeeds. (Bonus: you can also add a “blog” tab to your page once you connect with NetworkedBlogs.)
2. Create Custom Tabs. It takes a little finagling or a friend that speaks html, or fbml, but with compelling labels on unique tab content you’ll be the coolest biz on the block! Consider different tabs for different product lines, target markets, locations, etc.
3. Record video right to your page. This is some serious immediate gratification when you want to communicate directly with your fans, and in seconds! Click on the + at the end of your tabs and drop down to “video.” Record right away with your webcam or upload something cool from your files. Don't forget to post about it!
4. Run a contest or sweepstakes. There are apps available that create these classic promotional tools and then publish them to your fan page. This is a fun way to get your page viral. Check out www.wildfireapp.com. It isn’t free, but you can pull it off for as low as $5 a month.
5. Create a Fan Badge. Visitors to your website or blog don’t have to leave to become Facebook fans with this cool widget. To get one: click “edit page” from your fan page and look for a link to create a Fan Badge. In three steps you’ll magically have a “Become a Fan” shortcut on your web site.
1. Auto-feed your blog. With Facebook’s NetworkedBlogs app, every time you add a new post to your blog, it lands on your fans’ newsfeeds. (Bonus: you can also add a “blog” tab to your page once you connect with NetworkedBlogs.)
2. Create Custom Tabs. It takes a little finagling or a friend that speaks html, or fbml, but with compelling labels on unique tab content you’ll be the coolest biz on the block! Consider different tabs for different product lines, target markets, locations, etc.
3. Record video right to your page. This is some serious immediate gratification when you want to communicate directly with your fans, and in seconds! Click on the + at the end of your tabs and drop down to “video.” Record right away with your webcam or upload something cool from your files. Don't forget to post about it!
4. Run a contest or sweepstakes. There are apps available that create these classic promotional tools and then publish them to your fan page. This is a fun way to get your page viral. Check out www.wildfireapp.com. It isn’t free, but you can pull it off for as low as $5 a month.
5. Create a Fan Badge. Visitors to your website or blog don’t have to leave to become Facebook fans with this cool widget. To get one: click “edit page” from your fan page and look for a link to create a Fan Badge. In three steps you’ll magically have a “Become a Fan” shortcut on your web site.
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