Category: Social Media

What to do When You Make an Online Mistake

Whether managing your personal account or updating an employer or client account you’re responsible for, making an online mistake can be embarrassing to say the least. Online mistakes can also be costly in terms of damage done to an individual or firm’s reputation. As many celebrities and newsies have discovered sometimes what they felt was an innocuous statement can become quickly controversial and viral.

A client recently asked me how to deal with an error that went out in a post. There is no “easy answer” to this type of question, of course. The answer is really “it depends.”  It depends on what the “oops” was, how many people are likely to see it, what the potential negative ramifications might be and–importantly–whether a follow up message might bring more attention to the issue rather than defusing it. Believe it or not Continue reading “What to do When You Make an Online Mistake”

Leveraging Consumer Feedback – Even When It’s Negative

In the old days, communicators communicated to their audiences. These days communicators, if they’re communicating online, are communicating with their audiences–whether they realize it or not. The old “conversations” were generally cloaked in privacy. When I saw a television ad that generated some kind of response from me, I might share it with the few people I was watching the commercial with, or talk about it later with friends. But, my response was fairly limited.

Enter social media. Today Continue reading “Leveraging Consumer Feedback – Even When It’s Negative”

Is Social Media Better Than Traditional Media?

Here’s another one of those “it depends” questions: Is social media better than traditional media? Well, it depends…

  • Is television advertising better than radio?
  • Billboards better than newspaper?
  • Direct mail better than email marketing?
These are all “it depends” questions and, frankly, if you ever see answers to questions like these I’d recommend Continue reading “Is Social Media Better Than Traditional Media?”

Twitter Profile Best Practices

I’ve been spending a lot of time on Twitter lately – both on my own accounts and working with clients to help build and leverage theirs. On Twitter, as with other social media, your profile rules. Those few words you say about yourself really help to position you in the social media space and send an important message to followers and potential followers. One of the most common – and sometimes puzzling – errors I see on Twitter (interestingly, not quite so often on LinkedIn) is Continue reading “Twitter Profile Best Practices”

How Social Media is Changing Advertising and PR

In the “old days” there was advertising and there was PR. Advertising was communication that we created about ourselves and we paid for. PR was communication that we earned through creating relationships and clever pitches to the media gatekeepers who would then share information about us on our behalf. Social media represents a new communication option that has had, and will continue to have, a marked impact on both advertising and PR. Continue reading “How Social Media is Changing Advertising and PR”

Leveraging Social Media for Non-marketing Applications

When we think of social media we tend to think of its use as a marketing tool whether we’re talking Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, etc., etc., etc. And, using social media as part of your marketing efforts often makes sense (depending, of course, on your objectives and your audience). But social media can provide benefits beyond marketing. For example: Continue reading “Leveraging Social Media for Non-marketing Applications”

Taking Social Offline – The Best of Both Worlds

I monitor a number of LinkedIn groups (admittedly more of a “lurker” than a participant at this point…) and recently came across what I thought was an interesting application of networking that leveraged an online community to create an offline community. It remains to be seen how effective this effort will be, but Continue reading “Taking Social Offline – The Best of Both Worlds”

Facebook Ads – Does GM Know Something Others Don’t?

As Facebook prepared to launch a much-anticipated public offering, GM announced that it was discontinuing its use of Facebook ads. If you haven’t heard about this already, you haven’t been paying attention! Now, I’m guessing GM is Continue reading “Facebook Ads – Does GM Know Something Others Don’t?”

Why Pinterest Works for Users and Brands

I was engaged in an online discussion recently about the value (or lack thereof) of Pinterest. It reminded me of similar discussions over the years about various technologies and tools that crop up on an increasingly frequent basis. I wouldn’t call myself an early adopter but I do like to keep up-to-date and experiment with new communication tools particularly. Recently I’ve experimented with Google+, Quora and Pinterest. Pinterest, for me anyway, Continue reading “Why Pinterest Works for Users and Brands”

You on YouTube!

A great, inexpensive way to promote your business and gain exposure is to take your ideas online and put them into video format. Many consultants advertise their expertise by drafting white papers or putting useful information on a website. Moving to a video format is simply a natural progression of this marketing technique.

While putting yourself in front of the camera and creating a permanent, internationally available video might be terrifying for some people, YouTube offers significant benefits, such as ease of access and use for your audience; a more intimate, human experience; and an enormous reach. Here are some tips on how to create and use YouTube effectively as a marketing tool for your business: Continue reading “You on YouTube!”