Here, There and Everywhere...Where in the Social World Should You Be?

There are so many different social media platforms out there, that I thought I would summarize and suggest a few of my favorites. See the table below to see where in the social world you might fit in!

Facebook Interests - The Latest Change to Facebook

If you are familiar with Twitter, then chances are you are familiar with making lists to categorize people that you follow. Good news...if you are also an avid Facebook user, Facebook will be rolling out a similar feature entitled, "Interests." You can now organize all of the pages and people that you follow on Facebook.

Below is a glimpse at how the new Interests section on your Facebook profile will appear. (It will show up in your sidebar on the lefthand side of your profile). You can either create your own Interests lists or you can subscribe to lists that other users have created and made public.

Below is a screenshot of what will appear if you click on the word interests (in the screen shot above). Here you can organize, edit and delete your interests categories.

Do you want to learn more? Rather than reinvent the wheel, I thought instead I would share this great article from Digital Brand Marketing, which give an in-depth description about the new Interests capabilities on Facebook! Enjoy. http://digitalbrandmarketing.com/2012/03/16/what-interests-you-facebooks-new-interest-lists/

Recommended Resource - Digital Brand Marketing

Digital Brand Marketing - www.digitalbrandmarketing.com

This is a new blog that we just discovered (Thanks to Social Media Examiners list of Finalists for the Top 10 Social Media Blogs 2012.) Digital Brand Marketing’s blog “serves as a continuing education tool in the ‘Read, Write & Share’ philosophy covering subject matter in digital branding, marketing, business and more.”

Some subjects they’ve covered on their blog, in the past month, are;

1. The Recipe for a Social Media Enhanced Resume

2. The Price of Social Media. It’s Not Free.

3. The Buzz About Pinterest

In addition, If you are so inspired, Digital Brand Marketing allows readers to submit their own articles for publication on their blog as long as they fit topics related to digital media, brand and/or marketing.

Visit their website to sign up to receive their daily blog post right to your email inbox. I look forward to receiving my daily email from Digital Brand Marketing and I know you will too!

Facebook Timeline Images [CHEAT SHEET]

As I mentioned in my blog post last week, starting March 30, 2012, whether you like it or not, Facebook will be converting all business Facebook Pages to the new Timeline layout. Here’s a quick checklist of things that you have the next 21 days to complete:

1. Design an eye-catching cover photo (851 px wide x 315 px high)
2. Correctly size your logo to fit in the new “profile picture” position (125 px wide x 125 px wide)
3. Design custom pictures for your “favorite” apps that will show on your timeline (111 px wide x 74 px high)
4. If you have created custom tabs, you’ll need to resize them to 810 pixels wide 
5. Dig up old photos (or as Facebook refers to them, Milestones), upload them to Facebook and include in your timeline. This could include a picture of your original building, a product or service launch, when a new employee was hired, etc.

Now for your challenge: for the next 21 days, you will have the option to preview what your page will look like in the Timeline format before you take it live. This gives you a great chance to play around with different designs, photos and layouts. 

Men or Women...Who is More Likely to Share on Social Media?

Have you ever thought about who might be more willing to share their opinions, reviews, etc. on social media?

Finally an answer....WOMEN are more likely to help your social media campaign go viral. A recent study was completed by uSamp, which found that 78% of women and 74% of men were happy to share what brand they prefer.  According to Gaelie Normand, MD of uSamp, “This is good news for retail brands trying to harness social media as a marketing tool. Those targeting a female audience are likely to see more success with viral campaigns, as women recommednd their favorite products to friends and followers more readily. Those brands with a male following might find it slightly harder to create a buzz through social channels.”

A Few Facebook Insights Defined

Have you ever looked at the Insights for your Facebook Fan Page and wondered how to use the metrics that you are given to better market through Facebook? Do you know what the metrics mean? Following are the definitions of two very important metrics when it comes to marketing your business on Facebook:

People Talking About This

• The only Facebook metric that is visible to the public
• Represents the total number of people who have engaged in your page in any way. over the past 7 days, (i.e. liking, commenting, sharing, answering questions, responding, etc.)

Track “engaged” users

• Engaged users are unique people who have clicked any where on a post (during a 28 day time period)
• You can click on the number to see a pie chart of how your audience interacted with a particular post 
• The pie chart will also tell you if there has been "negative feedback" to a certain post. This usually means that someone has hidden your update

A screen shot of the engaged users box that shows how your fans have interacted with a specific post.

These are only a few of the important metrics that you should keep track of for your Facebook page. So, if you have 30 likes or more, head over to your Facebook page and start sorting out your insights!

Source: “FB Marketing All-In-One for Dummies” by Amy Porterfield

Are You LinkedIn?

Why Every Business Professional Should be LinkedIn: Be found • Find others • Demonstrate your expertise • Give a professional first impression • Join industry specific groups • Keep up with competitors • Research potential customers before your first meeting

What is LinkedIn? LinkedIn is a professional networking site where you can build your resume, add connections, join groups and contribute to conversations. According to their website the network currently has 135 million members. This includes approximately 43% of business people. 

A LinkedIn profile is something that everyone should have. Your profile will help you to connect with other professionals in your area or specialty. Having a presence on LinkedIn will help you network with these professionals by exchanging knowledge, ideas and opportunities. Similar to Twitter and Facebook, LinkedIn allows users the capability to follow status updates of professionals in their network.

HERE’S YOUR CHALLENGE: I challenge each and every one of you to visit the LinkedIn Learning Center (learn.linkedin.com) to find out how LinkedIn can help you grow professionally and help your businesses grow. When you are done “learning,” create a profile and start networking!  

When you are finished creating your profile on Linked In, if you are serious about learning more about LinkedIn, the first person I suggest that you follow is Wayne Breitbarth, a Social Media Trainer, Speaker and Consultant. I first attended one of Wayne’s seminars when I was a member of SMPS (Society of Marketing Professionals) in Wisconsin. He opened my eyes to features of LinkedIn that I had not utilized and he can help you do the same. Wayne posts on his profile daily with useful articles and information on how to effectively use LinkedIn. If you would ever have the opportunity to attend one of his seminars, I would highly recommend it!