Excel4College

excel4collegeJust received my social media strategy from Carol Stephen and it rocks! Is this what it is like to train with a Jedi Master?
Amy Gonzales

Sundt

sundt constructionI met Carol via social media. She has served as a mentor and ally to me. She is a true social media expert. Carol lays out a plan and theme for each week, leaving herself time to engage with her followers. An excellent mentor, partner and friend. It has been a pleasure working with Carol and I cannot thank her enough for her help and guidance!

Wendy LaPlaca

3 Ways to Be Social with Social Media

People use social media in a lot of different ways, and what works the best is when social media is actually social.  Visualize a big networking event. Aside from that one guy your cousin knows who always shows up and gets ripped, many are approachable. So there you are, with your fancy glass of wine in hand–now what? Here are three ways you can engage online.

1. Talk to Your New Follower About Himself. If you accept the premise that social media is a giant networking event, what could you talk about? Think about each Twitter or Facebook or Pinterest account as being a person or a business. What would you actually say to that person if you met them in real life? You could talk about their profile, or ask them about their business. One thing I love to ask about is their name. If you’re a shy person, networking is much easier if you have a topic. Since most people love to talk about themselves, engage them in a conversation about themselves!

2. Ask Your New Friend How She Got Her Name. Most people love to discuss their own names. So you can ask: Were they named after someone? Do they like their name? Do they have a nickname? Do others have a hard time pronouncing their name? Why doesn’t their name have any vowels in it? If it’s a common name, did they ever receive anyone else’s mail by mistake?

3. For a Business, Ask About What They Do. How long have they been in business? What is their service area? Who are their competitors? Has business been good lately? Is their business seasonal? There are hundreds of questions you could ask–and that any businessperson would love to answer.

If you start out just talking about yourself, chances are after awhile the other person is going to leave. But if you put the spotlight on the other person, they will probably think “What a great conversationalist!” even if you haven’t said a word about yourself. What a crazy idea, right? That of being social on social media.

Twitter 101: How to Create an Inspiring Profile

Your profile, or bio, is your chance to tell the Twitter world who you are and what you do, in a space the size of a candy bar wrapper. It’s your online Twitter business card, so make the most of this tiny space. Give us some reasons to follow you!
 
Tell Us Your Interests or Purpose. What do you do? So many profiles don’t include an accurate or compelling description—make sure yours stands out a little. Pretend you’re introducing yourself to someone at a barbeque. How would you tell that person, in one or two sentences, something about yourself that she could understand? How will you be using your Twitter account? To educate? To entertain? To sell homemade amethyst necklaces? Then say that!
 

Here are some real examples:

@YouTooCanBeGuru

I offer my opinions, unsolicited advice, and #socialmedia tips. I’m not an expert; just opinionated. Love, @gidgey FB Page:http://on.fb.me/no7tJL

Dana Point, CA · http://youtoocanbeaguru.wordpress.com

Notice @YouTooCanBeGuru’s profile says she’s “not an expert.” And although her Twitter name is meant ironically, she actually is an expert, and does offer good advice.

@TheBloggess

I have friends in spite of myself.

Texas Hill Country · http://thebloggess.com/


People love to follow @TheBloggess because she’s funny. And human. And a lot of other things. And yes, in case you were 
wondering, hilarity does ensue.

@ToyotaEquipment

Toyota Forklift Dealer Engaged with our followers – From manufacturing to sales. Find us on Facebook http://on.fb.me/h7DCCU ~ Kyle Thill

Minneapolis MN · http://www.ToyotaEquipment.com

@ToyotaEquipment’s Kyle Thill is extremely engaged, and retweets often, even across platforms (Facebook to Twitter, for example). So when the profile says engaged, he really means engaged.
 
Other Additions

Add URLs: Add your website address in your profile so that others can find you and learn more about you. In addition, you may want to add a Facebook, LinkedIn or Pinterest URL. You can shorten your URL (bit.ly is a good URL shortener) and then add it, since the space in your profile is very limited. Note that the example profiles above all have their websites listed.

 Add Hashtags: Hashtags are those pound signs (#) that you see all over the place on Twitter. You can use them in your bio to highlight something that interests you, like this: #SharkLover or #Bicycles. However, if you overdo hashtags, that can look spammy (and unfriendly!).

 Add @ Signs. If your Twitter account has more than one person tweeting for it, add your @ signs so people know who’s tweeting. For example, if you look at the @oLyfe account, you’ll see my @ sign there (along with two others) so that people know who is tweeting for that account. @Kred does a great job using a carat sign (^) as a mini-signature, since they have multiple tweeters.

Add Your Location. While “Spaceship Earth” is great for someone into astronomy, adding your real location helps followers determine whether to follow you. If you’re in a tiny suburb, you can reference the larger area nearby, such as “Boston Suburbs” or “San Francisco Bay Area.” Some people will only follow people who are local.

Spend a little time looking at profiles and see what you like or don’t like about them. You might search within Twitter for someone who does what you do, and see whether you can use their profile as a model.

 

Creating an Awesome Twitter Avatar

 

 

An avatar—that little picture that appears next to your tweets—represents you and your brand on Twitter. The success of your profile can hang at its weakest point. Your audience will initially look at your content and numbers (followers/following) to get a feel for who you are, but the real hang-up can be upon whom, or what, you chose to use as the face of your business.

You want your avatar to be instantly recognizable so that you and your brand can be seen as professional. Putting in a little time to create an avatar provides clients with the confidence they demand from a product or service they will invest their time and energy in.

Browse Twitter for Avatars You Like: Before you make a decision about an avatar, consider looking around on Twitter and choosing a few avatars that you like. Maybe pick 10 and then narrow it to three that you really like. Could you easily create an avatar that looks like one of them? Or find someone who could make one for you? There are some amazingly creative people on Twitter, so look around and see what makes you say “Oh! I like that one!”

People Like to Talk to People: The number one choice for all social media avatars is a picture of your face. People like to know that they’re talking to another person, not an object. That said, you still have some decisions to make.

Use a Drawing: Some people have created caricatures or drawings of themselves. Remember that time you were on vacation and that guy made a caricature of you? Maybe you could pull it out and use that. Since you don’t have a lot of space in Twitter, make sure to use the entire space up to the edges. Or maybe you have a talented graphic designer friend who could create a line drawing for you.

Use a Photo: One of the benefits of using a photo is that you probably have one that you can put up relatively quickly. Make sure it looks good on Twitter—that it’s in focus and there is good contrast. You don’t get a lot of space, so make sure it fills the entire space. If the photo looks unprofessional, that could reflect on your business. Consider using a professional makeup artist and photographer to get a really great shot. It really is a good investment.

Use a Group Photo: How about a group photo of the people who work in your business? Just make sure that the photo isn’t too small.

Logo: Although I like faces best, a logo or symbol could be terrific, too. A logo allows your business to look professional, multiple people can tweet from the same account, and other professionals will want to connect with you. If you already have a logo, that’s great! But don’t let getting a logo stop you from getting started on Twitter. Put up a photo and get going. You can change it later.

Mascot: A mascot is a fabulous way to get started. If you have a shop, you could have a shop dog. People identify with animals and will say things they wouldn’t say to a person or to a logo. (My cat, @Purrsilla1 has an account, and people love to chat with her.) Downside: a mascot might not be seen as “professional” in some businesses.

Anything But An Egg: If none of the choices above call to you, don’t worry. The main thing is that you get away from the default egg. If you keep the egg, a lot of people will look at you like you’re a spammer, and that’s the last thing you want. Any random picture (Easter bunny, daffodil, smiley face) is better than an egg.

 

Promoto Marketing

Carol Stephen has provided excellent advice and coaching for our company to get started and to prioritize our online marketing efforts to develop our understanding on how to effectively build our audience.

In taking the time to understand the nature of our work she has maintained a proactive approach in keeping us up-to-date and connected. We also found Carol to be extremely knowledgable: adapting her system to best complement our abilities; while being sensitive to the constraints we are facing.

Sam Lee

Business Arts Workshop

Unbelievable. Carol is a pleasure to work with because she’s productive & adaptive at the same time. She is dedicated to her work ethic and her craft: her ambition projects loyalty and stability a client deserves.

Always professional, once she is turned loose on a project she’s a self-starter that knows how to deliver content and customer engagement. She attracts a larger audience by making the right posts, gains the attention of your audience by saying the right thing, and influences your audience with the voice you want your company to project. If ROI is your priority, then she is your priority.

Joe Romero

Abreeze Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

Helping me through the maze of Social Media, Carol directed me so I could understand and use it effectively. She is very creative, knowing what to do and how to reach, connect, and influence other people and businesses. She provides terrific supporting and helpful, thorough, follow up.

Ken Harte

Riggins Construction & Management, Inc.

Carol has exactly what it takes to make social media work within the trades. Her management of @SanJosePlumbing has been phenomenal and we interviewed her for our Featured Tweeter series on the Riggins Construction due to her ability to perform. She is a gem, unselfishly helping everyone who surrounds her with grace and humor.

Bridget Willard
Office Manager/Social Media Manager

Combotronics Inc.

Carol has been a mentor for me, I met her through Twitter when I was just beginning; she always makes sure she is engaging with people as well as sharing wonderful content that coincides within her accounts. I highly recommend her abilities as a social media expert, and can say nothing but great things about her.

Roxanne Roark
Social Media

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