Four new print magazines hit the racks today.  The subject?  Social Media.

For about $7.95 you can pick up a magazine entirely focused on one of the four major social media platforms; Twitter, Facebook, Google, or LinkedIn.  You can also register for a free online subscription at www.socialmediamags.com.

Reading an entire magazine devoted to one Social Media platform is immensely helpful.  Each issue helps to break down each of these, sometime chaotic sites, into usable tools.

Here are some quick tips I learned from the fb & Business article: “15 Ways to Get Liked on Facebook”

1.  Incorporate the ‘Like’ button onto your company’s website

2.  Let Email Subscribers Know About Your Page

3.  Provide Incentives to Get More Fans

Why do you need social media?  How often do you think about Lady Gaga, President Obama, Occupy Wall Street, Coca-Cola or Princeton University?  They’re some of the best Social Media cowboys out there.  We’re all looking for ways to improve our business, and listening to those who will enable your growth is the best way to do that.  Social Media is the best way to listen.

The magazines available are:

Tweeting & Business

fb & Business

The Big G & Business

LI & Business

Look for them at Office Depot or read them online.

How often do you consider your social media strategy?  We’ve seen its success stories from the Obama Campaign of 2008 to communicating protests like Occupy Wall Street.  Social Media is a part of how we do business and its a way we communicate. We’re all on board.  Now its time to take a look at how we’re using social media, how to create a realistic social media strategy, improve our business, and strengthen our ROI.

This is an interactive post, if at any minute you get bored and would like to read another article on this topic, click on any of the photos below.  Have fun!

Step One :  Listen

This basic step is often overlooked.  Check out social media sites and see what people are talking about.  Check in to see what your followers are talking about.  Keep listening and learn what your customers are saying about you.  Stay open to your social media networks, be warm on the phone and communicative in person.  Its all connected.

Step Two:  “All for one, and one for all.”

Get management on board with your social media plan.  If they are great!  Have quick meetings about your social media status and plans.  Ask questions from your whole team and let everyone contribute.  Chances are each person on your team uses social media personally, and they all have plans.

3.  Set Realistic Goals

Social Media integration is a step-by-step process, which doesn’t always lead to an increased revenue.  Go slowly here.  What do you want from your social media?  What can you do to get that?  Be patient, and keep checking in.

We’d like to hear from you, what are some things you’re doing with social media?

Further Reading:

How Obama’s Internet Campaign Changed Politics, NY Times

Government Aims to Build a ‘Data Eye In The Sky’, NY Times

Looks like the fashion industry has taken a liking to tumblr.com, or is it the other way around?  Since its inception four years ago, tumblr.com has given more attention to the fashion industry than any other social media platform.  Of course with tumblr’s high res and photo based blog templates, its easy to see why.  This year’s fashion week was particular tumblr-ed.  On Fashion’s Night Out last Friday night, tumblr set up a photo booth for folks to have their photo taken in, which was then posted onto http://openingceremony.tumblr.com/.

Another reason why many industries and bloggers are using tumblr is because its so easy to use.  Tumblr offers a plethora of apps including blogging directly from your cell phone or recording your voice which is then entered as content into your blog.  This makes it the ideal blog for anyone with a busy lifestyle, i.e. anyone in the fashion industry.

Fashion Designer, Stefano Gabban, primarily blogs from taking photos on his phone and uploading them to his tumblr site http://stefanogabbana.tumblr.com/.  Tumblr has also been embraced by designers, photographers and many others working in a visually based medium.  Why?  Its nice to look at!  There isn’t too much content and any photos uploaded onto tumblr are going to look fantastic!  Check this blog out and see for yourself; http://marre.tumblr.com/.  Its also wired with google analytics so when you build a tumblr site its going to be seen.

However, tumblr has been getting into some trouble with the fashion industry by asking a large sum for page posts.  This has mostly been looking bad for tumblr because they have spent their time helping the fashion industry and now it seems they’d been doing this for profit.  Whats more, Ramana Kia, Head of Digital Marketing at Starworks Group, recently advised to avoid any paid partnership between a client and Tumblr.  He goes to recall several instances in which heads at Tumblr failed to recognize his own social marketing firm (one of the largest) as well as being rude within business correspondence.  He calls it a lack of empathy and reminds us:

“The inability to be empathetic is in fact one of the key differentiators between individuals who are considered to suffer from social communication disorders such as Autism and those who are considered to be normal.”

However, for any free use of tumblr this social platform is terrific.  Read more from Ramana Kia on his blog thesocialwarrior.com.

For further reading on this topic check out:

Where Fashion Gazes at Itself, NY Times

Tumblr Power

Tumblr.com

A white paper was published recently by comScore Inc called The Power of Like which goes through Facebook fan pages, business pages and ads. This is a terrific paper outlining several points often overlooked by businesses when trying to reach out for more fans and customers.  Ok, here we go.

Quick things to keep in mind:

• FB users spend 40% or more of their time in the newsfeed
• That means, users are 40-150 times more likely to check out your brand’s content directly from the newsfeed
• Fans will review your brand’s content, and friends of fans will also review your brand’s content

This last note is what the white paper focuses on. How do you reach your fan’s friends? They are already interested in your brand because their friends are, so how do you create a campaign that’s interesting for them? That’s what this white page is all about.

This is an in-depth study of what fans, friends and likes can do for your business. There are some bloggers who are weary of the ‘like’ button because of its obvious marketing techniques.

“Since marketing, at its core, is about harnessing the power of word of mouth, the viral opportunities afforded by social networks such as Facebook can be limitless for those seeking to promote their band, brand or other wares. All it comes down to is the continued development of enabling applications. And the creative usage, of course, of that seemingly innocuous but oh-so-powerful little Like button.”
- Journalist Hannah Sung, Globe Life

But what this white page comes back to is how many companies have not integrated social media into their advertising, and the success of the businesses who have.  Bottom line, this is a terrific paper that all business owners should read.

To download comScore’s paper click here.  There’s also a terrific video if you’re into it.

Think social media is just a fun way to swap stories between friends?  Think again.

A terrific article popped up in the New York Times yesterday about employment and social media that may make you reconsider your Internet presence.

The article began by introducing a California-based recruiting office called Social Intelligence.  Social Intelligence does background checks via social media on prospective employees for hiring businesses.  This is definitely a modern approach to background checks and has some people questioning the privacy rights searches like this may abuse.  Social Intelligence says they are looking for signs that a prospective employer may have a drug abuse problem, history of violence or a show active signs of racism, prejudice, sexism, etc.  They are not looking for any personal information or snooping.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions Office in Houston was quoted in the article saying “Things that you can’t ask in an interview are the same things you can’t research,” and the Times reminded us that this “includes the gamut of information covering a person’s age, gender, religion, disability, national origin and race.”

So if you’re looking for a job or an employee, think about how you’re coming across on these websites.

Social media has been controversial since its inception.  Its integration into business has become more so.  Beyond basic privacy rights, some businesses wonder if using social media for internal business communications is helpful or harmful.  Well, many Australian businesses have totally embraced social media as a means of communication.  In fact, Australians are avid users of social media, and they trump the US and the UK for hours spent on social media websites.  They’ve also found a way to make it work for  business.  What they’ve done is set up social media websites for business only, so employees don’t get side tracking peeking at their crushes on Facebook.

One social media site the Australians have created is called Deloitte.  It looks exactly like Facebook, so its familiar, and its focused for business practiced only.

Whether you’re with it or against it, its very clear that social media is here to stay…and it could help your business and career.  So whether you’re looking for a job, or have a job, think of ways social media can help (not hinder) your workplace.

Read more at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/technology/social-media-history-becomes-a-new-job-hurdle.html?pagewanted=1&ref=technology

http://businessconcerto.com/2011/03/14/using-social-media-for-employee-communications-some-australian-case-studies/

http://mashable.com/2009/10/28/small-business-marketing/

Hello folks!

Now if you’re reading this blog, you probably already understand the importance of showing up on Google’s search engine.  Google is with a doubt the most used search engine out there so you want to do what you can to make sure you’re showing up on top.

The great thing about Google is you really don’t need a lot of money to show up on their rankings, you just need some savvy, skills and preparation.  The very enthusiastic and smart software engineer Matt Cutts lays out ways your business can rank higher on Google.  Check out this video and learn more.  Enjoy!

Inspiration for this post came from:

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4227/6-Simple-SEO-Tips-For-Small-Business-Straight-From-Google.aspx

http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/

Yesterday Facebook launched their newest addition to their social media powerhouse; video chat.

Yes.  Facebook has teamed up with Skype to offer video chats as a messaging feature through Facebook.  And it’s really easy to sign up.  If you’re so excited and you’d like to get started right away go here and click on ‘go to app’.

So the question is, will this change anything?  Video chat has been available for years so why does it matter that Facebook has hopped on board?

According to Blogger Dan Costa “Anyone who really wanted to video chat on their PC certainly could have done so already.”  However unlike other video chat features, Facebook video chat does not require any membership (outside of Facebook), the download is simple and your contacts are limitless.  In fact, Facebook video chat is probably the most user friendly video chat to date, which definitely means something.  And with a 750 million pool of potential friends you can really chat it up.

True  Google, Yahoo, IM, and Skype have been offering video chat for years.  However, what’s different (and terrific) about the Facebook video chat is that you don’t have to have a Skype account even though the video calls will run through Skype.  You also don’t have to invite anyone to join anything.  If you want to video chat with someone on Facebook just download a simple app and send them a message.  Your friends will automatically get a request to download the app and off you are.

Google has also announced a new video chat feature called Hangout.  Remember chat rooms?  Miss them?  Well now you can have a video chat room with Hangout.  What I really dig about this is the ability to video chat with multiple people at the same time, and see them all at once.  You can even upload a YouTube video and watch it together.  This could totally change long distance meetings and presentations, its also really fun.

On this call, Facebook still seems to be in the lead for social chatting because anyone can join and you don’t have to have any other membership than your Facebook.  No downloads of major programs, just a simple app.  Social Media blogs have been all a buzz today reacting to this news and I am hopping on board.  Video chat is coming a long way and Facebook has yet again made reaching out so much easier.

So while the technology is the same, the rules are different.

You may also want to read:

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/07/video-chat-social-networking/

http://mashable.com/2011/07/06/facebook-skype-video-live/

http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/is-googles-hangouts-its-killer-app/