How to Maximize Your Facebook Presence

By now, many businesses have flocked to Facebook with the promise of raised awareness, increased brand loyalty and fresh sales leads. But are you doing all you can to maximize your company’s presence on Facebook?

First, it’s important to know what kind of users you are dealing with.  Here are some key behaviors to keep in mind as you develop your campaign:

• People are visiting fan pages looking for something in return—it could be coupons or discounts, exclusive information, entertainment to share with friends or maybe even recognition.
• The majority of a consumer's Facebook experience is the wall, which is also visible in their top news feed. The 95% of Facebook users view their news feed only, according to a recent study.
• With the new interface changes that took place this Fall, there is much more “passive sharing,” meaning a news feed is more cluttered with app updates from Netflix, Spotify and other sites connected to Facebook through an automatic update system. These changes are constant at Facebook so make sure to stay on top of what’s going on and maximize the technology or at the very least don't fall behind it.

It is often challenging to get attention when the Facebook universe is so vast and deep, but fret not. Social media is all about innovation and the best tips for success are discovered simply based on trial and error. So try these suggestions out and adjust as needed based on your target audience’s response.

1. Make “Like Us” buttons prominent and easy to find. One of the best ways to promote your Facebook presence is to simply add the small “f” icon on your website, but it shouldn’t stop there. Add the icon to your employee’s email signatures, to your e-newlsetter, or blog or any other digital communications.

2. Consider custom tabs. There’s more to a Facebook page than just the Wall. Consider working with a marketing agency that has experience in creating customized Facebook tabs. These become an extension of your website and can be used for product promotions and current offerings. Your designer can even arrange for these tabs to be the first landing page a user sees when they visit your page.

3. Engage and entertain. Social media definitely has a proven business value, but ultimately, users are looking for something fun and/or useful. Create content that makes them want to share with their friends or keeps them coming back for more. Quizzes, giveaways, exclusive videos and insights into the inner workings of the company are good ways to pique the interests of your fans and keep them engaged.

What are you looking to get out of your social media participation? Once you’ve determined the value Facebook or any other site has to your business, consider using an experienced marketing agency to do the heavy lifting—content research and development, posting and monitoring. Often the largest obstacle in the way of any kind of social media success is time.

Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

How to Use Google+ to Promote Your Business

Google+ was publicly launched on June 28, 2011 and boasts more than 25 million users, the fastest growing social media platform to date. There has been, as you might expect, comparisons being made between Google+ and the other two social media giants: Facebook and Twitter. Some say it is redundant—“what can I get from this that I don’t already have?” Others say its ease of use and new capabilities make it a contender in this fast changing and highly competitive business.

Google+ has most of the features of their competitors and a few new ones that make the site distinctive, which addresses some of the issues users have with Facebook and Twitter such as privacy concerns (Facebook) and character constraints (Twitter).

Google+ Features

Here is your crash course in learning some of the new features Google+ offers:

• Circles – This feature allows you to put friends into relevant circles. You can communicate with all your friends or a specific friend, and even upload certain photos to certain circles. Circles are seen as a time-saver with regard to privacy settings.
• Hangouts – These are group video chats like Skype that allow you to chat with your friends in real time. Skype charges a fee for multiple users and Google+ allows you to have as many as 10 participants for free.
• Instant Upload – Google+ has an instant upload feature which automatically uploads all your videos and photos to a private Google+ album. You can organize them into categories and decide to whom you want to send them. This is only available for Android Phones.
• Huddle – Currently limited to android users, this feature allows you to chat across different platforms including your mobile device. 
• Plus 1 – While searching or surfing the web you may come across little icons with “+1” in them. You can click on these icons and a snippet of information is displayed in your profile so that your friends can comment on or share with others. 

How Does it Measure Up For Businesses?

From what we’ve seen, there won’t be a mass exodus from Facebook and Twitter any time soon, but Google+ plus should not be underrated. There are many unique ways businesses can use Google+ as an additional social media marketing tool—here are two you can try right away.

Create a Hangout – It’s simple to use and there are many uses for the hangout service. You can talk to current and prospective clients, bring staff together for a meeting where ever they might be, or interact with other business partners and friends. This face-to-face tool can be a boon for small businesses that are not always able to interact with individuals they aren’t always able to connect with in person. 

Create a brand page – Every brand should have a page and so should every individual—as personal branding is becoming almost as important as your company’s positioning. The brand page on Google+ should contain similar information as your other social media sites. Build an “about” page that includes pictures and other attention-getters such as graphics and articles. Don’t forget to mention your accomplishments and interests.

Then, offer avenues of conversations and interchanges. In other words, be “social” invite comments and information. Where ever possible, include exclusive material that will pique the interests of your visitors, such as tips and other inside information. Keep it simple, consistent and constant.

It’s an exciting time in marketing and the ever-changing world of social media continues to offer new and expanded ways to connect with people you never thought possible. Keep Google+ on your radar as another way to interact with customers and raise awareness overall—try it out or contact CMA to learn more about how we can assist you in your social media strategy. 

Kaitlin Friedmann
PR Manager
kfriedmann@cmasolutions.com

Put Twitter to Work for Your Business

You first opened a company Twitter account because everyone was doing it. You started to tweet because it was fun to try to get a full thought out in 140 characters or less. It probably didn’t take long before the honeymoon was over and tweeting became just one more thing on your to do list.

Before you let that Twitter account go cold, consider these tips for getting the most for your business out of this social media site.

Get Linked Up. Chances are if you are using or thinking of using Twitter, you probably already have a LinkedIn Group, Facebook Page, a blog or all of the above. Programs like TweetDeck integrate all of your social media sites allowing you to post content across multiple sites easily. Not only will this save time, but it will ensure your Facebook friends and LinkedIn connections are all receiving your posts.

Strike the Right Balance. Resist the urge to be overly promotional or "salesy." Your customers know that you are on Twitter to promote your business, but if you treat your account like a 24/7 infomercial, no one will be listening when you have something important to say. Start a conversation with your followers and give them a reason to listen.

Make Friends with the #. You’ve probably seen hashtags peppered through peoples’ tweets. Hashtags are a simple way to connect tweets about a specific topic. They make it easier for users to find tweets on a given subject. So why is this important to you? Twitter users often search hashtags for content from people they aren’t currently following. Using hashtags can be a great way to extend your reach and connect with your current audience in a new way.

Twitter can be a valuable way to communicate with your customers (and prospects) online. While it’s not a panacea, it can play a key role in an integrated branding and awareness campaign.

Still unsure how to get started? We can help!

Kaitlin Friedmann

PR Manager

kfriedmann@cmasolutions.com

Social Media: Do’s and Don’ts

It’s become pretty clear to businesses across the board—social media is here to stay. Now that you know you need to have a social media presence, let’s examine some best practices we’ve found work best for us and our clients.

1. Do participate. You might currently be what we in the social media business call “a lurker.” Maybe you have a Facebook profile, you check it once or twice a week, but you rarely provide your own status update. Social media is about two-way communication—don’t be afraid to test the waters. Share a funny article or quote your favorite author and show you are ready to engage with your friends. You will be rewarded with their feedback.

2. Don’t do it all at once. You’ve identified the need for a social media presence, but it can be overwhelming to launch everything at once without a clear plan. A good way to start is to launch a blog and post on at least a weekly basis and keep a schedule of what you’re going to post and when. Once the blog is launched, it gives you a solid foundation for future tweets and updates for your Facebook and LinkedIn walls.

3. Do maximize your time by using apps or tools that update across multiple platforms. HootSuite and TweetDeck are good examples of this—whatever your 140-character comment is for the day can be updated on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. all at once. You can even schedule posts throughout the day. This is especially important for businesses who want to keep a consistent message across all platforms.

4. Don’t be afraid to try new things! Social media changes every day and the most used platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn make updates to their inferface, policy changes and new privacy rules very frequently. Stay flexible with social media—it takes time to develop a following and is self-policing. Only the most consistent participants are rewarded with followers, fans and group members. Change it up to keep those folks engaged long-term.

Keep in mind, social media is growing and changing, AND best of all, open to new and frequent innovations! While there’s no charge to use these sites, often the biggest investment is time. Let us know if you’re ready to jump in and we’ll work with you to develop an organized schedule and customized approach to a successful social media campaign.

Kaitlin Friedmann

PR Manager

kfriedmann@cmasolutions.com

Finding Your Social Media Identity

With social media evolving nearly everyday, it’s become tough for marketing experts to say what is the right and wrong way to strategize, execute and measure the effectiveness of your campaign. Every company, person and product has different goals, and social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter were designed to celebrate individuality. Here are some pointers to help you decide how to brand yourself and your company in the social media space.

Step 1: Start with yourself. What kind of social media user are you? An August article on CNN.com categorized “annoying types” of Facebook users, and there is truth to author Brandon Griggs’ complaints. For example, I classify myself as somewhere between a “Self Promoter” and a “Lurker,” as I am comfortable mixing my personal and professional worlds on Facebook, Twitter and this blog. My Facebook status might one day congratulate my sister on her new job or it could state how excited I am about a new client PR initiative. I believe that only through developing your own personal brand on social media can you truly understand how to utilize it to promote a company or product.

Step 2: Find a prototype. At this point, marketing and PR professionals are relying heavily on case studies and success stories of their peers to determine what works and what doesn’t. The good news is social media success is achievable whether you are a local dentist or a major airline.

Step 3: What’s Your Name? To promote a company, professional service or a product, there are a few things to determine right off the bat. First, what name will you use to identify yourself? For some social media sites, this is obvious—Acme Widget Company would naturally have a Facebook Fan page called Acme Widget Company. Twitter and other industry-specific social networking sites might prove to be more difficult to find something short and clearly identifiable.

Step 4: What do you want to say? In setting up this blog, CMA decided we would provide useful marketing information and showcase our in-house expertise in a conversational, but still professional tone.

It’s an exciting time for social media development. Check back on this blog for more information or email us with your questions. We’d be happy to help you determine how to approach this exciting new medium.

Kaitlin Friedmann
PR Manager
kfriedmann@cmasolutions.com

Don’t Rely on Luck! Promote Your Web Presence

Now that St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, it’s important for marketing executives to realize that really establishing a web presence is not accomplished with the luck of the Irish. It’s a combination of integrated marketing and public relations tools that help build a brand and keep the target audience engaged.

For example, a company with a blog that is maybe two or three months old that isn’t seeing any traffic is not providing people with the right avenues to get there. Remember the old saying “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, did it really make a sound?” Think of this when planning your strategy for social media.

It’s become more common for companies to add “Follow Us On…” notes on their e-mail signatures, websites, e-newsletters and any other area that it makes sense to let your audience know there is an additional way to learn about your products, services and company culture. Blogs also often receive some of the most foot traffic from links embedded in other social media postings. For example, an employee’s Tweet may link to your company website providing a whole new network of potential customers with access to your company’s bloggers.

Social media components such as blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook provide a customer with a less formal way to get to know who they are doing business with. Candid, transparent insights into that company’s business practices and how a client can benefit are easier to find on social media sites than in a corporate brochure or on a website. Both serve wonderful purposes to educate a customer, but think of social media as taking your mission and vision statements a step further in a literal and conversational sense.

It takes planning and the effort of dedicated individuals to run an effective social media campaign that is constantly kept fresh and new. Rushing to jump on the bandwagon can end up being an unlucky move in the end.

Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

Taking Control with Twitter

Sure, it’s got a funny name, but Twitter is becoming a main communications method and a way to instantaneously connect with target audiences. Some social media experts say that engaging in social media is about losing control in a good way, but what makes Twitter valuable is that it’s an added public relations opportunity that is often faster and more easily controlled than working through the media. Let’s learn from a few success stories.

For Transparency:

Popular film director, Kevin Smith, recently Tweeted a play-by-play account of his removal from a recent Southwest Airlines flight for being “too fat to fly.” Regardless of your thoughts on the rights of overweight Americans, the real winner in this scenario is Southwest (@SouthwestAir), whose Tweets included the following not long after the incident:

Our apology to @ThatKevinSmith and more details regarding the events from last night - http://cot.ag/96KHC7 #Southwest 3:14 PM Feb 14th via CoTweet

Our conversation with @ThatKevinSmith - http://cot.ag/derOe8 #Southwest

Just as quickly as posts can be used to expose a problem, companies like Southwest are utilizing Twitter to set the record straight and create a direct line of communication and transparency.

Also remember that the first step to Twitter is identifying if it is the right fit for you. Here are a few examples of how Twitter worked for several of our clients.

For Event Promotion:

It’s a tough time for some association members to get approval for travel to continuing education conferences, so the Association for Convention Operations Management (ACOM), a group of convention services managers working at hotels, convention centers and convention and visitors bureaus, began live Tweets from their recent Annual Conference in Dallas (@ACOMTweets). This worked well to keep active members who could not attend in the know. Volunteer “Tweeters,” with the support of the CMA team, linked to Conference session notes and Power Point presentations, and provided attendees on-site with valuable up-to-the-minute information on room changes and added events.

For Media Attention:

Flip to CNN any time of the day and no doubt you will see “follow us on Twitter” followed by an easy to remember screen name flashing across the bottom of the screen. In addition to coverage on a media outlet’s website, their Twitter page creates another medium for your target audience to become aware of your company, event, or initiative—instantaneously. When CMA announced the finalists for the Audio Publishers Association (APA)’s Audies awards in February, the list of audiobook titles were Tweeted by Publisher’s Weekly editor, Diane Robach, in addition to being included in their daily e-newsletter, PW Daily, posted on their website and included in their print edition.

For Blog Traffic:

With space for only a 140 character post, Twitter is often used as a way to redirect traffic to a company’s website or blog. The Twitter post becomes a “teaser” to pique the interests of your followers enough to make them click through your link. To drive traffic to this very blog, our PR Manager, Kaitlin Friedmann and other members of our social media team have continually Tweeted about new blog posts. As a result, traffic to the blog increased by over 30% in the span of two months.

Remember, Twitter is self-policing, meaning that your Followers will leave if you do not hold their interest. Like any marketing investment, engaging in Twitter is simply about the commitment of time and effort to develop a program the right way, instead of simply jumping on the bandwagon. Find out how CMA can help you develop a social media plan that works.

Jeffrey Barnhart
President & CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com

Social Networking: Becoming one of “them”

Like many PR professionals, I have made a conscious effort in recent years to get on board with social networking. How else can I effectively manage a client’s social media campaign without being one of “them,” the increasing community that communicates largely via 140-character sentences?

I started out on MySpace a couple years ago, but gravitated more toward Facebook and LinkedIn after realizing their more professional, grown-up format. Twitter has the potential to reach a wide audience, as we saw with recent news events as the Presidential Inauguration and the struggle of young Iranian protestors, but requires a lot of up-keep and the right message to gain followers.

Along with these core sites, I participate in other social media by blogging and frequenting several news and political blogs, PR professional blogs and message boards, along with the all-important entertainment scoop sites, providing an occasional comment when I feel I just can’t keep my opinion to myself.

What I have found is that, for the most part, regarding Facebook and Twitter, I pay real attention to a core 20% of my “friends.” For example, a few of my friends are in event planning and public relations. They have, by far, the most interesting “status updates” and “Tweets” because they constantly recommend and mention the best restaurants, hotels and other useful services they come in contact with. I have learned about great New York hot spots, which resorts have the most comfortable beds and websites where I can check out videos of tourist attractions before I visit.

Our clients, current and potential, can gain from this perspective. Many companies want to jump on the social media marketing bandwagon, and I don’t blame them. It’s all anyone is talking about if they are not talking about the downturned economy. But so far, there are specific niches that can use social media as an effective way to raise awareness and drive sales.

It seems obvious, but most of the time, market research may be in order before social media marketing is implemented—the question “is your audience online?” must have a definite answer.

A well-known social media expert said at a seminar I attended recently that the press release will be dead within three years. While that remains to be seen, it’s certainly clear that one-way marketing needs to make room for emerging two-way, user-generated content that has a strong voice and purpose.

Kaitlin Friedmann
Public Relations Manager
kfriedmann@cmasolutions.com