11 New Social Articles on Business 2 Community |
- Are You Ready For a Social Media Disaster?
- Brilliant Minds Behind Intel’s Social Media ~ @Ekaterina
- Facebook App BranchOut Gives LinkedIn a Run for its Money
- How to Make Money Blogging
- A Common Sense, Non-Reactionary Approach to EdgeRank and Facebook Business Pages
- Paid Posts: My Facebook Status Update is Smarter Than Yours
- 5 Ways To A Successful Social Engineering Attack
- Are You Leveraging LinkedIn Apps on Your Profile?
- ICICI Bank Shoots Up Facebook Engagement With Fan Of The Month
- This Platform Vs. That Platform – What’s Right For Your Business?
- 12 Keys to Success on Twitter
| Are You Ready For a Social Media Disaster? Posted: 17 Jun 2012 02:30 PM PDT Recent research shows most organizations are nowhere near ready for a social media disaster. A report by the Altimeter group revealed that 76% of such events which occurred between 2001 and 2011 could have been avoided or diminished if companies had invested in effective internal processes. And the study showed that while social media disasters are on the rise, most companies are not prepared to deal with them. Organizations are quick to deploy the latest technology, but we haven't yet even agreed what to call it when things go terribly wrong. Social media disaster? Social media crisis? Social media s**tstorm? These events may fall down the definitional cracks between issue management and traditional crisis management. But whatever they are called, they are no less real – especially as a threat to organizational reputation. The pace of social media screw-ups seems to be increasing, and the last few months have thrown up some ominous examples:
None of these cases destroyed companies or cost lives. But they highlight failures of preparedness and failures of response. And more specifically reveal problems of fragmented technology, lack of formalized internal social media policy and failure to address social media risks in corporate crisis planning. The Altimeter report suggests four internal requirements for success:
And what about you?Where does your company or organization rank on the spectrum of understanding the risk and being prepared for a social media disaster? |
| Brilliant Minds Behind Intel’s Social Media ~ @Ekaterina Posted: 17 Jun 2012 02:20 PM PDT Lately I've focused on individuals who build influence through the effective use of social media. Today I'll talk about how Intel sets the standard for corporate social media excellence, using all manner of social media to engage its audience, inform, educate and build the brand. If you think Intel is just a nuts and bolts company, you'll be surprised at how seriously they take the intangible world of social media engagement. The company has firm control over its strategy through the Intel Social Media Center of Excellence. They've set down Social Media Guidelines so employees understand their rules of engagement – disclose, protect and use common sense. If you're interested in learning more about the Center, Forrester Group has a case study "Intel’s Social Media Center Of Excellence Responds In Real Time – A Social Computing Report" that is available for $499. The company is everywhere - blogs, Facebook (over 10 million likes!), Twitter (over a quarter million followers!), YouTube (35 million video views!), Google+ and LinkedIn – but brings it together in their Online Newsroom, Free Press. Here fans can follow Intel in all of its social media glory or download a mobile app to keep in touch wherever they go. Aware of the need to reach out to the next generation, Intel recently launched a beta version for a digital magazine, iQ by Intel. Optimized for mobile reading, iQ mixes original content with content from other sites and lets users vote on items to feature on the front page, or move up by sharing in a social media platform. Social Media Thought Leader and Friend – Intel's Ekaterina Walter
In a two part Forbes magazine interview with Shel Israel, she is described as "the personification of a new Intel," a "bridge builder," and a person "whose goal is to connect all people and by so doing empower them." Israel chose her as a social media thought leader based on his belief (and mine) that those with the most influence are those who share the most interesting and useful information. Not only is Ekaterina one of the foremost social media thinkers, she also wins minds and speaks broadly on social media matters as well as the role of women in leadership and technology. She recently shared her personal journey at a TEDx conference in a speech entitled "Perceptions are Reality. Or Are They? An Immigrant’s Journey." She writes on social engagement for publications like Mashable, Huffington Post, and Fast Company. Her measurements for success include who is reached, how often and unique impressions. She encourages companies to understand their audience and provide content that resonates. I believe she will be a great addition to your writer roster because she is so open to sharing what she knows. I see her as a second Scott Monty, the global head of social media for Ford Motor Company, who shares his personal perspectives on social media in his own blog. I think it's a great idea when companies allow their people to make connections, like Ford did with Scott and Intel is doing with Ekaterina. Certainly food for thought as you develop your own social media strategy. |
| Facebook App BranchOut Gives LinkedIn a Run for its Money Posted: 17 Jun 2012 02:10 PM PDT
Rick Marini, CEO and founder of BranchOut, saw an opportunity to give those looking to network with their Facebook friends a way to connect, or "branch out," so to speak. Sound like LinkedIn? Marini sees LinkedIn as more tailored for the executive market, whereas BranchOut is a more informal way for anyone to reach out to their community when seeking new opportunities.¹ BranchOut represents a subtle but profound iteration of social networking that exemplifies the value of the Facebook platform. The largest single concentration of humans online, Facebook's current and potential value is found in its user base, not only for the data they produce, but for the actions they take. As Greg Finn wrote in a recent MarketingLand post, the Facebook stream should be thought of as a more modern version of RSS. People use Facebook to socialize, learn and inform. In March of 2012, there were 398 million users who were on Facebook at least 6 out of 7 days, and there are over 42 million pages with 10+ likes. This audience is engaged and receptive to the user-generated content shared by their Facebook friends. With these engagement numbers, it's no wonder that an app like BranchOut can become a disruptive force in such short order.
THE BOTTOM LINE BranchOut's experience provides two takeaways for businesses. On a basic level, if you're looking for the best place to recruit Millennials, you may want to start on BranchOut rather than LinkedIn. On a deeper level, BranchOut is but one app in the Facebook ecosystem. This is significant, because it reflects the power of the Facebook platform as a kingmaker for some of the best new ideas. As more app developers and start-ups acknowledge this fact by opting to showcase their wares on the Facebook platform, the social network can provide an even stronger UX (user experience) to its base, fostering deeper user engagement. Such engagement generates more data for Facebook to mine, which it can use to demand higher revenues for its various ad schemes. Presuming Zuckerberg sticks to the principle of constantly enhancing UX, Facebook will maintain and grow its user base. With the largest and most-engaged online population on Earth, anything is possible.
¹ The Next Web, "BranchOut's Rick Marini: A new generation wants to find work via Facebook, not LinkedIn [Video]" Images courtsey of BranchOut |
| Posted: 17 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT If you are thinking of starting a blog, or want to make money blogging, then this comprehensive blogging guide will highlight what you need to increase web traffic and make money. Whether you own a small business and want to make money selling goods, or whether your want to make money from advertising or affiliate links, the process is the same. Blogging isn’t rocket science, but it does require some initial organization before it is effective as a money making enterprise. Understand the “make money blogging” equationThere are two parts to making money from a blog:
Traffic refers to the number of visitors arriving at your blog. “Conversions” are any actions those visitors take that meet your predefined business objectives. An objective is usually related to making money, or something that ultimately leads to revenue – like clicking on an ad, affiliate link, signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, etc. The “conversation rate” refers to what percent of blog visitors convert. You can assign an average dollar value to any conversion on your blog. In other words, some conversions might be worth 20c, while others might be worth $25. Let’s call this average conversion value M for monetization. The make money blogging equation looks like this: Money = Traffic x Conversion rate x M Simple, huh? To make money, all you need to do is find a way to drive traffic and convert it! If you can do that you will make money blogging. Check out this quick and free content revenue calculator that you can use as a guideline for what blog content should earn. Personal attributes of successful bloggersThe make money blogging equation shows the scientific side of blogging for income. But in order to succeed as a blogger you need some very human qualities. To make money blogging requires the following three things:
Everything else can be bought, outsourced or learned. You don’t need any technical knowledge of PHP, HTML, CSS because platforms like WordPress make it easy to get blogging in no time at all. Knowledge: Blog about something you know a lot about, or are interested in learning Passion: The more passionate you are about something, the easier it is to keep going – especially at the start when there isn’t much money coming in Persistence: Blogging is a medium term investment in time and effort. It won’t pay off overnight. That’s why you need to be passionate about the subject. Tips & resources to help you make money bloggingIf you’re still confident that you have what it takes to make money blogging then here is a list of blogging tips, tutorials, guides and resources that show you everything you need to know about blogging and making money online. Blog writingArguably the most important factor in the success of any blog, is how interesting, relevant, useful, conversation-worthy, astounding, funny or insightful the blog content is. Think about information you share with colleagues, friends and family. What is it about that content that made you pass it along? If you can endow your blog content with the same “magic ingredient” that causes people to sit up and take notice, then you are more than half way to success. Here is my list of the most important attributes of blog content:
Read the following blogging articles for more information on how to create great blogging content:
SEOSEO (Search Engine Optimization) refers to a set of tools, techniques and technologies designed to help content rank better in Google search (and other search engines). Recently Google has been cracking down on people using spammy SEO techniques, so you need to be careful about how to apply SEO. Here are the best SEO resources to help you get the right balance and utilize SEO most effectively for your blog:
AnalyticsPart of building blog traffic going forward relies on understanding what traffic is doing now. In order to be able to understand who is visiting your blog, and what they are doing, you’ll need a decent analytics program, like Google Analytics. Here are some of the best articles covering analytics for bloggers:
MarketingBlog marketing comes in many flavors, but one of the most important aspects to marketing a blog is social media marketing. It is crucial that you get people talking about your content. The more people share and discuss your content, the more other people will join in the debate and create “buzz“. Implementing a great Internet and social marketing strategy will help decrease the amount of time it takes to get your blog to the point where it is self-sustaining. But be warned, 2012 is a year of great change, and you need to be aware of what is happening in the search and marketing industries as a whole. Here are the best Internet and social marketing articles and resources for bloggers:
Selling advertising & affiliate linksOnline advertising is one of the best ways to make money from high quality blog content. There are many ad networks, affiliate networks, ad platforms, and so on, and it can be a bit bewildering to find the right one for your content. My advice is to start off with the easiest advertising option – Google Adsense provides targeted ads with minimal fuss. When you are ready to get more adventurous and explore new ways to make money blogging, check out the following resources:
Now it’s your turn to have a say. Have you been blogging with little to no success, but improved after reading this article? Are there tips and techniques you use to drive traffic and convert it into moola that you’d like to add to this article? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below or join the discussion on Twitter and LinkedIn. |
| A Common Sense, Non-Reactionary Approach to EdgeRank and Facebook Business Pages Posted: 17 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT
But, I've recently been seeing a number of blog posts being shared by a lot of friends on Facebook that seem to fall into the, "The Facebook sky is falling" category, as many business owners and marketers wring their hands over the fact that their fans may or may not be seeing their Facebook updates. People are sharing some of these posts on Facebook, and quite a few of them have posted them on my wall asking for my thoughts. There's a few reasons why I dislike these types of posts: First off, I try to avoid the knee-jerk, reactionary stance that many seem to take when Facebook or another social platform doesn't seem to work the way they expect it to. When I see that sort of "sky is falling" reaction, I get really uncomfortable. Second, I think they include a lot of misinformation about how Facebook and EdgeRank work, and that misinformation is being perpetuated as it spreads across the web Third, the solutions offered in these posts, and by many others, require us to reach out to our fans and ask them to jump through some hoops and do a lot of work in order to get them to see more of our posts. We shouldn't put the burden on our fans. Fourth, and most importantly, I think this approach to Facebook that focuses on the numbers so closely is a fundamental flaw in the way most businesses approach social media in general, and is rooted in a faulty mindset. As for EdgeRank, the metric that Facebook uses, I won't try to explain it here, because better people than I have died trying. The best explanation I've seen is at What is Edgerank? But in general, it's an algorithm that determines who sees which of your updates. Much of it is based on engagement (and previous engagement), as well as the nature and depth of the relationship between your business and the customer. This will be important later on. A few notes, based on comments and statements that I hear often, and which were alluded to in the aforementioned posts: 1. "People aren't seeing my posts on Facebook" – This has always been the case. Very little is new here. Every user has made different choices in their settings as to whether or not they see the posts from various individuals and businesses. Additionally, we all have different behaviors. If I log in, I rarely scroll down on my newsfeed, but if an update from a business loads on my page, below the fold, they still get credit for me having seen their post. And I log in a lot. What about someone who only logs in once a day, or every few days? Even if your update theoretically appears in their feed, will they scroll through several days of updates to stumble on your posts? When Facebook tells you a post has been "seen", it's not what you think. They don't know if I actually saw it. They just know that it appeared on my page at some point and I had the ability to see it. This is what impressions are. Think of it as a billboard. When selling outdoor advertising, billboard companies do traffic studies to determine how many cars, and people, pass those billboards over a given period of time. Now, how often do YOU look at the billboards as you are driving and really digest them? Just because you had the ability to see them, doesn't mean you did. You might ignore them, not know they are there, or even be distracted by something else happening at that time. So even if you find a way to bump up the number of people who "see" the posts, it doesn't mean they will really see it. Add to this the fact that some have hidden your updates. We all have different habits, different numbers of friends, and different settings. You can kill yourself and waste a lot of time trying to figure the system out and be seen by everybody. Oh, and by the way, promoted posts won't do that for you either, but more on that in tomorrow's post. 2. "People aren't coming to my page" – Again, this has always been the case. The majority of views on your posts, and engagement with those posts, happens in the individual user's newsfeed. I rarely click through to a page. I have no need to. Clicking through to the page doesn't change any of the analytics or engagement. Engagement is engagement, regardless of where it happens. If they come to your page, great! But it doesn't change anything. While the Timeline gives you a way of building up a nice visual presence, you should always treat each status update or post as a unique event, even if it is related to, or built upon, previous posts. Don't worry about whether people are coming to your page or not. Help them to find your content wherever. Links on website, blog, Twitter, etc. When they check on mobile phones, they are not going to your page. 3. "These changes mean that Facebook isn't working for me. I should go elsewhere" – Well, that depends. What are your goals? What are you trying to get people to do on Facebook? What and how are you measuring? There are three truths about Facebook that I keep trying to hammer home, that are inherent in having a proper mindset when dealing with social media. a) Facebook is not marketing – That might be a small part of it, but if you approach it as a marketing and advertising tool, in the same way you approach traditional media, you will fail. Approach Facebook in the same way that you approach the day to day activities in your brick and mortar office or store. Think in terms of customer service before you think in terms of marketing. This will change your approach, as well as how you measure your success. Just because Facebook provides all these analytics and engagement numbers, and wants you to buy ads and promoted posts, doesn't mean you have to approach it from that perspective. We seem to be holding Facebook to higher standards than we hold much traditional media when it comes to ROI, and other analytics. Fact is, it is a very different animal, and needs to be interpreted differently. b) Facebook does not exist in a vacuum – If you are doing it right, you shouldn't just be looking at the Facebook numbers. Integrate your online and offline. Integrate your social and other digital properties. If I looked at the level of engagement on my own Facebook page, I'd go nuts. But remember, what are your goals? For me, while the numbers ON Facebook are not great, I can point to other numbers that show Facebook is working for me. For instance, after organic search, Facebook is the top driver of traffic to my website and blog. By far. It out performs all other link sources including links from other sites, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google +, etc, combined. And by my accounting, that's huge. And most of that traffic doesn't come from my page, but from the newsfeeds of those who see and share my content. To isolate Facebook as a discrete element, particularly in terms of numbers, is a mistake. We talk about ROI until we're blue in the face, but don't forget that historically, true ROI under the DuPont model was meant only as an overall analysis, and was never meant as something that you calculate for each smaller portion of the big picture. If Facebook and social media are predicated on the concept of word of mouth, you cannot easily isolate it from the rest of what you are doing across all media. c) Facebook and social media results don't happen overnight – Too often businesses micromanage their Facebook presence, and when they don't see the results quickly, they have a negative reaction. Again, they are approaching it from the wrong mindset. If in fact social media is social, and it is predicated on the word of mouth concept, we need to remember that it is a nurturing process that takes time as we build relationships. Worrying about every little post or update on its own won't get you anywhere. It is the cumulative effect of what you do on Facebook over time, combined with my statements in point b. Ask the right questionsAs you move forward, make sure you ask the right questions.
Suggestions for moving forward1. Keep creating and sharing great content – This discussion reminds me of the whole SEO discussion, where we talk about tips and tricks vs. just creating good content. Organic is always better than using "tricks". Create and share good content. Period. 2. Examine the types of posts you are posting, and the timing of those posts – Your Facebook insights can tell you a lot ab0ut which posts get more play, and how the timing of the posts fits into that. People ask how often they should post on Facebook. Some say it should be a few times a week, while others say once a day. I still believe that if our content is strong enough, we can post updates on Facebook several times a day, and this will help us 3. Understand what EdgeRank is really about – Not to further buzz a buzzword, but it's the relationship, stupid. Use your social platforms, particularly Facebook, to build and deepen relationships. That is the key to determining both engagement and affinity, and increasing your EdgeRank numbers. It's not something you "game" or "beat". It just happens as you work to build relationships, the same way you do in real life. Don't spend time worrying about the numbers, and wondering who is or isn't seeing your updates. In short: be social. One final note. My friend Kat Krieger of Brand Connections was telling me about a little experiment she was trying in terms of posting updates on her Facebook page. Like me, she normally has her blog posts sent to Facebook via a third party app. In fact, we both use the Networked Blogs app, which I often recommend to clients. But Kat started toying with reposting them manually. One of the things that she noticed, and I have since noticed with my own experiments, is that the manual posts seem to do better across the board in terms of exposure and engagement numbers, when compared to the ones posted via third party apps. Much better, in fact, to the tune of 3 or 4 times the number of impressions. So if you post content to your Facebook page via a third party app, including management software like Hootsuite or PostPlanner, try some manual posts and compare the results. It might take a little more time (but really not that much more), but you'll like the results. And now that Facebook allows you to schedule posts, it makes the process much easier. Tomorrow I'll take a quick look at Facebook's Promoted Posts with a little bit of a case study, to determine how they work, and whether they are worth the investment. What are you doing to make sure your fans are seeing the content you post on Facebook? Special thanks to Liz Jostes for talking through some of these points with me, and giving me the kick in the pants I needed to write this post. |
| Paid Posts: My Facebook Status Update is Smarter Than Yours Posted: 17 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT Believing that your posts to Twitter or Facebook are more important than those of your friends may be a sign of egotistical delusion (or perhaps your friends just put up lousy, boring posts). Regardless, Facebook may soon give its users the opportunity to leapfrog their status updates to the top of the pile.
In the Kiwi-based trial run, the costs of a highlight range from 40 cents to $2 (New Zealand dollars). Various iterations of the 'highlighted post' are being tested as well, including some that indicate a post as highlighted (read: paid). Let's look for a minute at the pros and cons for Facebook of a paid post program launching for all users: PROS
Since January 2011, business pages on Facebook have been able to promote their status updates with "Sponsored Stories." These posts reach the eyes of users who 'Like' the business, without cluttering up their News Feed. Considering that the average status updates reaches only about 12 percent of a user's friends, the feature has proved an effective tool for businesses that already have 'fans' on Facebook (meaning that the posts don't spam unsolicited users).
Facebook desperately wants to avoid being the next Groupon, whose IPO last year was followed by a collapse of stock value, dropping to a third of their peak value within four months. By demonstrating initiative to increase cash flow, Facebook will build confidence in investors and maintain share value. CONS
Any changes to the user experience on Facebook have to be conducted extremely carefully, and a shift in how posts are prioritized on News Feeds will have far bigger ramifications than just updating every user to a new aesthetic like they did with Timeline. Currently, Facebook ads are fairly unobtrusive. That may contribute to their dismal 0.5 percent click-through rate (and General Motors' high profile pullout of their $10 million advertising campaign). Still, dropping what essentially amounts to ads prominently into News Feeds could drive users away to smaller, less-commercialized social networking options.
If Facebook launches paid posts, they will immediately be forced to devote heavy attention to combating spammers. Companies will likely 'hire' users with high friend counts and traffic, using personal profiles to market their products and services. This could lead to users cutting back on their friend list to 'trim the fat' and reduce the number of spam-like posts on their News Feeds. Fewer friends could mean fewer users, leaving a corporate-ad laden wasteland in its wake when users migrate to the next platform. (MySpace, anyone?)
Some users will pay to highlight their post, even if they've got nothing to sell. Still, the majority of paid posts will have a marketing motive behind them, and many users will simply not agree to start spending money on their personal social networking. Their posts will become less sticky and less important, and they'll eventually decrease their use of the site as a source of information, relying on Facebook more for picture sharing and e-vites. Grasping the implications of paid posts on Facebook is difficult, which is why the company is carefully launching beta trial runs. Whatever they decide could spell major changes for the company's forecast. |
| 5 Ways To A Successful Social Engineering Attack Posted: 17 Jun 2012 08:15 AM PDT In a previous post, I highlighted that mass marketing fraud against individuals cost the UK economy £3.5 billion in 2011, that is ten time more than the cost of plastic card fraud in the same year, or equivalent to the total fraud losses incurred by the financial services sector in the same period! Sobering perpective, don’t you think? We all know that mass marketing fraud is where criminals aim to defraud multiple individuals to maximise revenue by persuading victims to transfer monies in advance in exchange for promised goods, services or benefits. And we all know that this is usually done via mass-communications media (such as telephone calls, letters, emails and text messages) and ranges from foreign lottery/ sweepstake frauds through to ponzi schemes and romance frauds or any other abuse of trust… So, we all know better, don’t we?… CAN I GET YOU IN FIVE TRIES?… The idea of this post was given to me by Andy Dancer, CTO EMEA at Trend Micro and his presentation at the Spring SASIG this year. Mass marketing fraud is not new, and I don’t expect any of you, constant readers ;) will fall for the>>> FIRST TRY: The foreign heir/heiress to a substantial fortune where he/she offers you a percentage of the fortune in exchange for your help with money transfers and advance fees… Traditionally, this has been done via letters or email, but criminals move with the times and this scheme received a makeover with the use of Facebook:
OK, you didn’t fall for it, but how many people you know would? So, how about the>>> SECOND TRY: Email from your bank that a fraudulent transaction may have been performed on your account and that you are required to check/update your details by following a link in the email. Yes, the link may look genuine, and we all know not to click on embedded email links, and we all know how to find out the actual URL behind the embedded link, but what if the link looked like http://onlinebanking-chase.com/checking/ssl/update.php? OK, you may not fall for this one, but how many people you know would? How many people can recognise a phishing site (spelling mistakes, etc.) and a phishing URL (See section 2 of bustspammers page on phishing)? Also, want to see what’s behind those short URLs? Try http://www.trueurl.net/service/ So, let’s step it up a bit and see what you would do with the>>> THIRD TRY: The fake app: a popular iOS app suddenly gets a long awaited Android version…
The following text courtesy of Trend Micro: Once the application is installed and run, it creates shortcuts on an infected smartphone's homepage. If the Android-based device has Facebook installed, it asks the user to share the fake app on Facebook before playing the game. It would also prompt the user to rate the application in the Android Market. Once user has shared and rated the app, it displays a countdown of the app's release instead of showing the actual game and was capable of displaying ads using the mobile notification. (In this instance, if you checked the information on the games developer for this Android version of the game, it was not the same as the developer for the iOS version. This app was since taken down). Now, be truthful, did I get you? OK, for those who were not fooled, how about the>>> FOURTH TRY: The malware infection than begins with windshield flyers… This one began with the use of fliers put on windscreens at public car parks and was an innovative way of social-engineering potential victims into visiting a malicious website. The text of the flier read: PARKING VIOLATION This vehicle is in violation of standard parking regulations. To view pictures with information about your parking preferences, go to [website-redacted]. Upon following the link, victims would be tricked into installing fake anti-virus software (Full story here). How close were we on this one?… OK, how about the>>> FIFTH TRY: The LinkedIn Invite… What was common with the first four attempts is that you were not expecting them, but what if the scammers have studied you, and sent you something you might actually expect…
See my point?… (and this attack has actually been observed…) You might not have fallen for any of these attempts, but on a personal level, how many members of your family would? On a professional level, how many employees in your organisation would, from field staff to C-level execs? Different people will have different thresholds to these attacks which brings me to the whole point of this post: Security education and awareness is key at all socio-economic levels, whether on a personal or professional front. Our duty, as infosec and fraud professionals, is to keep educating and spreading the word. And we might even contribute to our country’s economy by reducing fraud… Until next time… cross-posted from neirajones |
| Are You Leveraging LinkedIn Apps on Your Profile? Posted: 17 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT In the social media training courses I deliver – when we get to the section on LinkedIn, I'm always surprised to find out how many people
I've already covered point 1) and 2) in blog post I wrote some time ago 'Leveraging LinkedIn' – and the post 'Get your Products and Services in the Spotlight' – showcases what and how you can go about that, but as yet I haven't blogged about using LinkedIn Apps – so here goes. LinkedIn Apps currently appear to be rather unknown and underutilised resources. So here's a quick overview of the Apps currently available:
How to access LinkedIn Apps If you already have any of the LinkedIn Apps live on your profile – then the simplest way to add a new application is to hit the link in the right hand corner – (as showcased below).
If you don't have any Apps already loaded, then the simplest thing to do is visit www.linkedin.com/apps . Here you will see the entire range of apps. Select the one you want and then simply install it. (Tip: Log into your LinkedIn Profile prior to this – that way it auto connects to your LinkedIn account). So that's it – start livening up your LinkedIn Profile – explore the LinkedIn Apps and find out which ones are likely to be useful for you. |
| ICICI Bank Shoots Up Facebook Engagement With Fan Of The Month Posted: 17 Jun 2012 06:30 AM PDT Most of the top Indian banks are on social media and doing a handsome job at that. The official Facebook page of ICICI bank has launched a massive search for the 'Fan of the Month' beginning June. The winner shall be rewarded with a gift voucher worth Rs. 10,000/- from MakeMyTrip, which can be redeemed on return domestic flights across any sector and where the value of the ticket is less than or equal to the prize amount of Rs.10K. The rules of this contest, if you can call it a contest, are simple. All you have to do is engage with the brand. For every comment or 'like' that you put on the Facebook wall, you will win 50 points each. And if you have the highest score by the end of the month, you could be the winner!
About 'Fan of the Month' Facebook app:Fan of the month contest has an interesting and neat little app of its own. But first do go through the Terms & Conditions of the contest, given at the bottom of the app. Since I was already a fan, all I had to do was click agree to T & C and register myself to enter the contest. Once you register, this is what you see. As you can see in the screenshot, the app is self-explanatory. The first section 'Leaderboard' displays a list of the top 20 fans along with the points they have scored. 'Know your rank' will be populated only after you are in the list of top fans. The 'Winners' section will have the names as soon as the first winner is declared. You could start with banking your points in the 'Comments' section right away. 'How it works' explains how you can be the fan of the month. 'Invite friends' is a feature where you can invite your Facebook friends to participate in the contest too. Has it helped ICICI Bank Facebook engagement? In an earlier post, where we did a study of five Indian banks on social media for a period of one month, we found ICICI bank as the most engaged with its fans compared to the others. And this even with ICICI entering the social space quite later than the other banks. Apart from this, it was also at the top in terms of fan growth, conversations and sentiment analysis. Since the announcement of this contest i.e. 5th June, 2012, you can see the posts on the Facebook wall having an increased level of engagement as compared to the older posts. We did an analysis of the Facebook page using Unmetric for a period of 10 days from 1st June to 10th June, 2012 and here is what we found:
The above image highlights that there has been an increasing growth of fans from 4th June and the number talking to the brand was also maximum on 5th June. In addition to this, the brand's community grew by more than 20,000 fans in the span of 10 days. Is it a good way to engage with your fans?At first, it seems a tad condescending for a brand like ICICI to run an 'engagement' campaign like this. A lot many smaller brands do this regularly using a free Facebook app called Booshaka, that gives you the top fans in your community. You could then thank them, appreciate them or help them leverage your brand image further. In a way, Fan of the month contest helps brands to discover their advocates, but it is a point to ponder upon whether these are your 'genuine' fans. In an increasingly crowded space spawned with virtual communities, brands seem to be getting aggressive in finding their brand advocates. So when bigger brands resort to such tactics, it gets worrisome. However, on the other side of the coin is the desire to build and nurture a gigantic online community and the ICICI Bank Facebook wall is a good measure. All the posts are helpful to the community and that is what will eventually be the deciding factor. While brands are experimenting with social media and learning community behaviour, we will see how these contests help in shaping up online communities. Till such time we can continue to understand the impact and perhaps learn a thing or two. What do you think about the ICICI Bank Fan of the Month contest? Do share your thoughts in the comments. |
| This Platform Vs. That Platform – What’s Right For Your Business? Posted: 17 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT What works for one person, may not work for you. This is especially true when you're figuring out which platforms to choose for your business. It could take up to 6 months to figure out what is working and what isn't. Nobody ever said you can't nix or add a platform as you go along. Same goes for your strategy; it should change naturally depending on what is and isn't working. Take others success and failures into consideration when considering which platforms are right for your business, but don't let their say be the last. Some people are completely successful with just a Google+ profile…you just never know until you get out there and try! Watch the video to learn more: |
| Posted: 17 Jun 2012 05:30 AM PDT Twitter was never designed to be a social network but it has become one. In fact it was designed initially in 2006 to used by individuals as an SMS type service to communicate with a small group at the podcasting company Odeo. When I first joined Twitter in 2008, I was underwhelmed and wondered as to its usefulness. Its early attraction to me was its novelty factor. It has overcome this challenge and four years later it has built an impressive resume.
In the nearly six years since its founding over 600 million users have registered Twitter accounts. Twitter Provides LeverageThis is Twitter's biggest and best advantage. Social media allowed the word "viral" to be associated with marketing rather than the great plagues of the last few centuries. It has enabled the localised and physical word of mouth to now become "world of mouth". Social media with its exponential multiplier effect is the amplifying agent that marketers used to dream about. Many business owners still do not understand the global multiplying effect to word of mouth that it brings. What I Discovered about TwitterDespite not being impressed initially with its rather simple interface and perceived lack of usefulness I stuck with tweeting an occasional tweet here and there. After playing with it for a few months I discovered it was driving traffic to my blog in numbers that surprised me. It now had my undivided and focused attention! I realised that if I wanted more traffic to the blog then building a large Twitter tribe of followers could be a great benefit to providing more visibility to my blog. One Tweet at a TimeStephen King, the fiction writer who has written 47 novels, when asked how he was so prolific and successful had this to say. "How do you write?" I invariably answer, "One word at a time," and the answer is invariably dismissed. But that is all it is. It sounds too simple to be true, but consider the Great Wall of China, if you will: one stone at a time, man. That's all. One stone at a time. But I've read you can see that motherfucker from space without a telescope." ― Stephen King Being successful with Twitter is no different. One tweet at a time. 12 Keys to Success on TwitterSuccess on Twitter will take time. It will require patience and persistence. There are many online services promising overnight success. True success takes longer and it takes discipline and commitment. 1. Size matters on TwitterDon't believe it when people tell you that its just the quality and not the size of your following on Twitter that matters.That is bollocks! Both are important A large Twitter following provides scale and leverage to market your business, blog or website. Building a Twitter following applies the law of reciprocation. If you follow someone then there is this underlying obligation to follow you back. The more credible your account looks with credibility displayed by links to a blog and a sizeable Twitter following will make you more attractive to be followed back. 2. Build a targeted tribe on TwitterThis is where it starts to scale when you not only have a big following but a tribe that wants to hear what you have to say and links that take them to valuable content that they want to read and view, whether it is yours or another trusted source. Your tweets need to be relevant to your followers. If you want to build a targeted following then I have found that Tweepi is a great tool to assist you with that (and it is free). Applying the law of reciprocation, follow people's (preferably top bloggers with large followings) followers in the market segment that you're focused on. In the main these followers are already following that person because they are interested in that topic area. It a list that is already qualified. For example if I follow Chris Brogan's followers then I am quite confident that they are interested in social media. If I tweet about social media they are going to be interested.
There are other tools that you can use to build a Twitter following and another on I use is Twellow, that is like the yellow pages of Twitter. 3. Tweet "evergreen" contentOnline your content defines you. The challenge for many is coming up with the ideas for tweets and the content that they lead to. Stephen King reveals the secret to finding the inspiration and ideas for your content- "you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot" Some people fall into the trap of just tweeting news and topical content. If you want to build and enduring presence on Twitter and on social media including blogs then link to content that is useful and helpful not just this week but also next week and in one years time. Link to content such as "how to" videos or articles that adds value well into the future and isn't dated within 24 hours because it now old news. Aim to educate and not just inform. 4. Include links to liquid and contagious contentTweeting great content is essential. If you want people to share you then you need to make your content compelling and contagious. That could be through assisting people in solving problems. It must do one of 4 things, inform, educate, inspire or entertain. This takes work but it can be done. Create content that is so good it begs to be shared. Coca Cola have realised the power of this and have changed their marketing strategy from "creative excellence" to "content excellence". Their strategy is labelled as "liquid and linked". 5. Tweet multimedia contentOn Twitter people expect to be taken to content that is multi-media rich. It needs to include media such as videos, Slideshare presentations, podcats, images and photos. So think multi-media tweets. Twitter is now allowing you to view these within your Twitter account.
6. Visual tweets are vitalThere is a significant trend happening on the social web and it is the increasingly important communication technique of getting your message across via visual formats and media. It is showing its power with the rise and growth of platforms and social networks such as Pinterest and Instagram. It is also evident with the obvious popularity of Infographics. It can be seen in the evolution of Facebook and the emergence of Google+. The images are bigger and beautiful than ever before. Share them on Twitter and watch your engagement and your content sharing grow.
7. Automate TwitterMany social media purists don't agree with this but it works and saves a lot of time. I have been labelled a Twitter maverick by some but my principle on this is to "automate the content distribution but not the conversation" that I think this balances efficiency with engagement. I automate the tweeting of my content about 90% of the time. It provides visibility and it keeps my content in the Twitter stream. I tweet on average one tweet every 15 minutes. The two tools that save me 60-70 hours a week and let me sleep are Twitterfeed.com and Social Oomph Professional (a paid service that costs me about $25 a month) Productivity tool #1. Socialoomph – This saves me about 80 hours a week at least.
I use social oomph several ways but mostly for these two tasks
Productivity tool #2. Twitterfeed I enjoy sharing other bloggers content that I trust. Twitterfeed.com enables me to share their content on Twitter automatically by detecting their RSS feed when they publish their post.
It achieves two objectives. It enables me to continue to share content that adds value and secondly sharing content from other bloggers sometimes ends up in them sharing your content. Send it with their Twitter handle so they know you have tweeted their link. That is what I call a win-win! 8. Learn the art of the Twitter headlineIn a world where everyone is time poor you have only seconds to make them click. Your headline is the start of the seduction. It applies to all of your content but on Twitter it is vital.
9. Tweet to all your social network accountsWe all have our preferred social networks. Some are Facebook fanatics, others are LinkedIn legends and some are Twitter twerps. Don't miss a chance to get your content and brand where your customers hang out. Tweet links to content on a variety od social networks. Edelman publishes a trust barometer every year to measure what creates trust online. They have discovered that if someone only sees your brand once your trust factor is only 4%. If they see you mentioned 3-5 times it rises above 50%. The lesson here is "be seen everywhere" Tweet links to content that is published to the major social networks in a variety of formats. 10. Tweets should have a homeYour Twitter account should link to a home that you own. You should also be tweeting links to take people to that hub (it could be a blog or a website). Don't build your home portal to the web on someome else's platform. Build your own foundation and hub. This should be a blog with your domain name and that is self hosted. Don't sign away your rights to your content to someone else.Sure, post your articles to your Facebook page or a Tumblr account but don't hand over the keys to a landlord, you never know when he might want to sell or demolish your home. Invest in your own online asset.
11. Tweet with purpose and passionThis will provide the focus and the why for building an online brand in your category of choice. On Twitter I tweet about subjects that are the intersection of my passions and interests that combined provide nuclear fuel to drive my social media endeavours. You need to plug your tweets into that power source. It provides the rocket fuel to rise early, it provides the energy to stay up late,it provides the ideas and the inspiration for the writing and the content. Many of us have many things we love but you will need to choose the topic area for your Twitter account and blog and stick to it. 12. Be relentlessStephen King writes one word at a time but he produces 2,000 words a day 7 days a week. This is what we call relentless. What enables him to do this is his passion for his craft. This is the fuel. You need to be relentless in the production of content to tweet and the use of Twitter to market and distribute that content. One tweet at a time. One last thingIf you haven't put a Twitter sharing function on your website or blog then do it "now". Don't make it hard for people to share your content on your online portal and home. What About You?In human history there has been no better opportinity to publish and promote your content. Are you tweeeting enough content? You have a tweeting and publishing machine in your pocket it is called a smart phone. It can be used to tweet on the go. Are you tweeting the right content? Have you built a targeted Twitter tribe? Look forward to hearing your success stories in the comments. |
BranchOut
I really didn't want to write this post. I was hoping to avoid a post about EdgeRank, Promoted Posts, and all the the other things people are currently complaining about in all the blogs in terms of Facebook.
The social media giant recently launched a pilot program in New Zealand that allows users to pay to 'highlight' a post, meaning that it will appear near the top of friends' News Feeds and remain their longer, even if it doesn't receive the clicks, comments, and 'Likes' that usually push a popular post to the top.
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