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How to Resist Change: Confessions from a Curmudgeon

January 14, 2016 By Leave a Comment
How to Resist Change: Confessions of a Curmudgeon

How to Resist Change: Confessions of a Curmudgeon

When I was a kid, I looked up to celebrities. There was something magical about their hair, their makeup, and their clothes. I remember being alone, dancing in my room to David Bowie. Sometimes, I would grab a hairbrush (for a mic) and sing along with the Rolling Stones. Sam, our cat, was a willing audience to these outbursts of song and dance. Imagine my dismay when the Beatles broke up. I still can’t believe it’s over!

Breaking Up is Hard to Watch

Breaking Up is Hard to Watch

Breaking Up is Hard to Watch

Miss Piggy and Kermit split up this past year, which was difficult to watch even though they are muppets. What happened to their love?  And their ridiculously cute squabbling? Maybe it was never an act at all. And what about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner? Is nothing sacred? Well, Batman is sacred, but that’s another story, Ben Affleck!

Change is Intolerable!

Change is Intolerable!

Change is Intolerable!

When change happens, we should pull the blankets over our heads and go back to sleep. Like the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand, we can ignore changes and pretend they didn’t happen. It’s easy, right? Sure! So long as you don’t read your friends’ Facebook posts, or see anything trending on Twitter!

Get Off My Lawn!

Get Off My Lawn!

Get Off My Lawn!

Even though I don’t have a lawn, I’d like to get one just so I could yell that at kids. They don’t belong on my non-existent lawn! Not that there are tons of kids running around where the lawn would be, still it’s troubling to think that they could be. What were they thinking, those imaginary kids?

Ads, Throttling, and Spam

Ads, Throttling, and Spam

Ads, Throttling, and Spam

Facebook is doing more targeted ads and throttling who sees posts. Is that right? No! They should’ve kept it the way it was, where people could see everything. Not only that, but Facebook is terrible for you, says Salon. Twitter has become less about engagement and more about spewing ads. Again, it was way better before. Pinterest now has ads, too, whereas in the beginning it was only about pinning interesting pictures of kittens and flowers.

Deny Everything

One thing you can do to avoid change is to deny it exists. The earth is still flat, Elvis lives, and you don’t have to update that software. Then again, if you procrastinate long enough, you might not have to think about it at all.

Coping with Change

Coping with Change

Coping with Change

Of course, you could learn to cope with change, as this excellent article by Adam Dachis explains. But if you did that, you wouldn’t be able to gripe about it, would you?

 

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Is There Pie in the Cloud?

November 5, 2015 By 4 Comments
Is There Pie in the Cloud?

Is There Pie in the Cloud?

It’s so wonderful that Pinterest has free tech talks. The most recent engineering talk that I attended was about about cloud engineering. I always meet interesting people at these tech talks, enjoy the speakers, and the icing on the cake is the free food.

Irony alert: this time there was no cake. Or pie! Which to all God-fearing clowns is dessert. By the way, if you need to hear more about clowns, here’s an article any pie-loving clown would like: Secrets of the Social Media Circus.

So no cake, no pie, and no dessert of any kind? Well, I’ll just have to make do!*

Easy as pie?

Easy as pie?

Easy as pie?

First up for her tech talk was Nori Heikkinen , a Google engineer, who spoke briefly about the history of search and Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and a stint at Healthcare.gov. She did not make her time with Healthcare.gov sound as easy as pie. And speaking of pie, my favorite kind is blackberry. But since it’s November, there is mostly pumpkin and apple pie. 

Since I wasn’t allowed to take pictures, here’s an image of some blackbirds instead. This picture is not meant to resemble any living cloud engineers.

Four and Twenty Blackbirds

Four and Twenty Blackbirds

Four and Twenty Blackbirds

Another Highlight was Jeremy Carroll who reassured us that the pins we pinners pin are copied in triplicate so we can rest assured that they won’t disappear like hot pies left on the windowsill spotted by famished blackbirds (not his exact words). And did you ever stop to think about how many things have to happen after a pin is pinned? Someone has to make the list of other things you might like related to that first pin. Whew. Thinking about it might make you need a piece of pie. By the way, this Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book sounds heavenly, doesn’t it? But I digress.

Pie Before E, Except After C

Pie Before E, Except After C

Pie before E Except After C

Raj Patel, head of cloud engineering at Pinterest, made one of the best points of all in his talk: A Pin Lives Forever. He discussed the half life of other social media posts, emphasizing that pins live on and on and can be rediscovered days, weeks, or months after they’re pinned.

You can't spell Pinterest without PIE

You can’t spell Pinterest without PIE

You can’t spell Pinterest without PIE

Not to rub it in, but Pinterest without the PIE would just be ntrst! Which doesn’t sound very delicious. If you’d like to read about another Pinterest tech talk, here’s my Discover Pinterest: Behind the Scenes.

*I am in no way intending to malign Pinterest: just thought I’d offer them some pie for thought. 

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Social Media in 60 Minutes a Day

October 1, 2015 By 10 Comments

Social Media in 60 Minutes a Day

You’re creating your new app, your new software, or your new restaurant. You’ve been at it for months. Suddenly, you look up. Oh no! You need social media. You have to spread the word! But you have nothing! What to do, what to do?  After all, 72% of all internet users are now active on social media (Jeff Bullas).

Top Traffic Generators

Look at the Top Traffic Generators

  1. Facebook has 1.44 billion monthly active users, of whom 65% are daily users (VentureBeat)
  2. Twitter has 316 million monthly active users (Twitter)
  3. LinkedIn has 300 million users (Forbes)
  4. Google+ has a few million active users (TechTimes)
  5. Pinterest has 50 million users (Mashable)
  6. YouTube has 1 billion monthly active users (Social Media Hat)
  7. Instagram has 300 million monthly users (CNN Money)

 

Consider Your Demographic

And please don’t say it’s everyone! Are they Millennials? Women with college degrees? Of a particular ethnicity? This article from Pew Research gives an excellent overview. Then consider where that person shops, eats, and lives. Ask five people who would use your product or service how they use social media. A short survey could help. Don’t forget to consider the visual aspect of your business. That is, is it very visual or not at all visual? If it’s very visual, Pinterest and Instagram are good choices.

Consider age, gender, ethnicity, as well as interests and level of techno-savvytude.

Pick Three

Pick Three

Choose the three that appeal most to your target audience. Let’s say you’ve picked Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. The easiest way is to begin with the one you already know or use.

Narrow Your Choices to One

Narrow it to One

Start with the platform you already know to hit the ground running. Say you’re already a Facebook user. Set up a business account. Set up your profile, business hours, and physical address if you have one. Then: 1. Post when your fans are online, 2. Use large, beautiful pictures. 3. Use Facebook’s native scheduler.

Choose Daily Topics

Say you’re going to post five times a week, Monday through Friday. Let’s say you have a restaurant, for instance.

Your daily topics could be:

  • Monday: DIY food, specials
  • Tuesday: Behind the scenes with the chefs, nutrition
  • Wednesday: Wines and beer that goes with food
  • Thursday: Comfort food
  • Friday: Why people deserve to have dinner out, Happy Hour

 

Rinse and Repeat

Once you have Facebook under control (it will take more time in the beginning, naturally), add Twitter to the mix. Then add Pinterest. Now spend 20 minutes per social platform (use the same or similar topics). Schedule some posts and engage with people. Of course, this is greatly simplified. Facebook is not Twitter is not Pinterest. But you get the gist.

Still Stuck?

Hire a social media manager. Here are some things ten of the worst social media managers do. Make sure yours don’t do any of them. Let me know what else you’d like to know in the comments!

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Twitter Trending Topics: Secrets for Using Them

July 16, 2015 By 10 Comments

 

Secrets to Using Twitter Trending Topics

Secrets to Using Twitter Trending Topics

When most people think of trending topics, they think of Twitter. But there are trending and popular topics across other platforms, too. If you’re just getting started on Twitter, here are ways to use Twitter as a listening tool. Google, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter all have trending and popular pins and articles. There’s too much about trending topics for just one article, so it will be a series.

Catch a Trending Topic

Catch a Trending Topic

Catch a Wave

Trending topics can be like a wave. You might see one coming and decide to catch it. It’s not the most evergreen of content, but something that’s here one minute and probably gone the next. If that’s part of your strategy, it can lend an air of spontaneity to your posts. If most of your posts are scheduled and carefully crafted, having some spontaneity can add an element of fun.

Real-Life Trending Topics

Real-Life Trending Topics

Real-Life Examples

Above are trending topics, from my own Twitter account. The top one, about Amazon’s Prime Day, could be used by anyone selling something. You could say something about a July sale that isn’t disappointing. If you’re in music, you might want to comment on Neil Young pulling his catalog from streaming service. If your audience enjoys science, you could jump on the Charon (Pluto’s moon) trend. For someone in the social media arena, Kim Kardashian’s buying likes could be a major failure, and a good topic of conversation.

If Your Audience Enjoys Science, You Could Tweet about Charon

If Your Audience Enjoys Science, You Could Tweet about Charon

Find a Trend for Your Audience

You might not want to pick just any trend to post–decide based upon what your audience would like to see. For instance, I tweet about startups, leadership, and social media, so I’d want to make sure that those were the trending topics I posted. If you post about cars, look for trending topics around automobiles, tires, car safety, etc., which are fairly common.

Twitter’s New Detailed Trending Topics

As outlined in the Wall Street Journal, Twitter has recently added descriptions under its trending topics to give them some context. Previously, Twitter had a Discover tab (missed dearly by some of us old-time Twitter fans). Supposedly, these new and improved trending topics will add context to appeal to Twitter newbies. For anyone, having some context could be useful.

Check The Number of Tweets About a Trending Topic

You can also see how many tweets there are about a trending topic, although I wouldn’t base my decision to jump on a trending topic wave based solely on the number of tweets. For instance, the #GrowingUpUgly hashtag would probably not appeal to my audience, despite its 104 thousand tweets.

Local Trending Topics Can Be Useful

Local Trending Topics Can Be Useful

Change the Trending Topic to a Nearby City

The trending topics can be changed to another city. For instance, since I’m in the San Francisco Bay Area, I could switch from tailored topics to San Francisco to see what’s different. Just click at the top left (on desktop) to switch back and forth.

Trending Topics Change Per Region

Trending Topics Change Per Region

How Do You Use Trending Topics?

Do you pay attention to them at all? Or just ignore them? Leave me a comment!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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10 Arguments for a Pinterest Business Account

July 9, 2015 By 2 Comments
10 Arguments for a Pinterest Business Account

10 Arguments for a Pinterest Business Account

You may have a personal Pinterest account, that you got when Pinterest first arrived on the scene in 2010 (remember when it was by invitation only?). And you’ve loved some of Pinterest’s changes, such as the move from search to guided discovery. Now that some of your friends have business accounts, why don’t you make the leap, too? If you’re undecided about getting a business account, here are some reasons you need to get off that fence.

The Red Check Mark Gives Legitimacy to Your Business Account

The Red Check Mark Gives Legitimacy to Your Business Account

Red Check Mark

For now, as outlined by Business Outsider, Pinterest needs to come to you if you want the red checkmark. It’s a good way to verify whether you’re following a real celebrity or fake. However, checkmark or not, you can still drive traffic to your site. Google takes Pinterest seriously.

Pins and Boards Are Now Being Indexed By Google

Pins and Boards Are Now Being Indexed By Google

Google Search

With both pins and boards now being indexed by Google, it makes sense to have a business account so that you can pin your own content and drive traffic to your website. For instance, above is a Google image search I did on a pin. Pins dominate the search results on Google.

Want to learn more about your audience and your top pins?

Want to learn more about your audience and your top pins?

Analytics

Want to learn more about your audience, your top pins, and your all-time most popular pin? Sure you do! To get started, login to your business account and check your analytics. As you can see from the above screenshot, I have a lot of views, but views on my website are a spot that could use an upgrade. I’ll be writing more about Pinterest analytics in the future, so keep your eyes open.

A Pinterest Business Account Helps to Increase Your Brand's Legitimacy

A Pinterest Business Account Helps to Increase Your Brand’s Legitimacy

Legitimacy

For any brand, having a business account lends an air of legitimacy. Having a business account adds to your credibility. It’s surprising when a business doesn’t even bother to upload a logo or photo before starting to follow many, many accounts. And by the way, here’s a list of Five Things You’re Doing Wrong on Pinterest and How to Fix Them.

A Business Account Draws More of the Right Kind of Followers

A Business Account Draws More of the Right Kind of Followers

Followers

Just like a business account on Twitter, Facebook, or anywhere else, a business account will draw more of the right kind of followers. If you haven’t taken the time to set up your account yet, here are some first steps you can take.

Rich Pins, Like Sponsored Pins, Can Increase Your Traffic and Profits

Rich Pins, Like Sponsored Pins, Can Increase Your Traffic and Profits

More Business

With a business account, you can check what your ideal client is pinning, and then take steps to create pins that match those pins and that will be interesting to them. Besides, you don’t want to miss out on rich pins, sponsored pins or the upcoming buyable pins, do you?

Pinterest Drives Sales to Shopping Networks, Like Etsy and Shopify

Pinterest Drives Sales to Shopping Networks, Like Etsy and Shopify

Increased Sales

With all the ammunition you’ve gathered from your analytics, you’ll surely have more sales. You should know more about your ideal client and what interests them. Especially in a retail environment, sales can come directly from Pinterest. Pinterest users spend more time on the site, and tend to buy from sites like Etsy and Shopify while there.

A Business Accounts Helps People Recognize Your Brand

A Business Accounts Helps People Recognize Your Brand

Brand Recognition

People will recognize your brand and image if they see you consistently pinning pins that match your brand. You won’t be “out of sight and out of mind” when your pins remind people of your brand.

Know Where the Market is Headed with a Pinterest Business Account

Know Where the Market is Headed with a Pinterest Business Account , Image: ©PBS Works

Barometer

By analyzing the popularity of your pins, you can get an idea of where the market is headed. For instance, you could pin the same pin with a different image to different boards, altering the time you pin, in order to see which draws more attention. The marketplace’s taste fluctuates as quickly as the weather; what you will find within Pinterest’s business analytics is a barometer that helps you maneuver through the market trends.

 

Who Doesn't Need More Brand Loyalty

Who Doesn’t Need More Brand Loyalty? Image Credit: ©Julio Palacios

Brand Loyalty

According to Access Development, “the most important driver of brand loyalty for millennials is a great product at 77%, followed closely by brand recognition and trust at 69% (NewsCred)”. A Pinterest business account can help you to retain those loyal customers, whether they’re millennials or not.

Convinced?

Will you take the plunge and get your brand a business account now? I’d love to know if you do. Leave the word “Done!” in the comments if you do!

 

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Seven Deadly Sins of Social Media

June 25, 2015 By 8 Comments
Seven Deadly Sins of Social Media

Seven Deadly Sins of Social Media

You’ve probably heard of the seven deadly sins, or maybe even grew up having to recite them from memory. But did you ever associate them with social media? Maybe you did on one of those long, sleepless nights. Here then are the seven dead sins for social media.

Lust Equals Popularity

Have you ever known someone who needed “social proof” (also known as followers)? If you end up buying followers, whether on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest, you could permanently hurt your reputation or throw off your analytics. People can tell if you’ve bought those followers, so there’s the embarrassment factor. And when you try to figure out when your real followers are online, all those fake followers in Estonia will throw off your numbers. No offense to any Estonians!

Sloths Refuse to Check Into Their Accounts

Sloths Refuse to Check Into Their Accounts

Sloth or Laziness

While adorable in their slowness, sloths enjoy hanging out in hammocks, eating fruit, and refusing to check into their accounts. A sloth would rather chill than post or comment or share. By the way, completely automating your social media  accounts so the same post appears in multiple places without any change is definitely slothful.

It's easy to act out when you can't see who's on the other end of that post

It’s easy to act out when you can’t see who’s on the other end of that post

Wrath or Anger

It’s so easy to strike out at people when you’re sitting in your comfy computer chair, oversharing on Twitter or Facebook, isn’t it? And remembering that there’s an actual person who has to read your comments is tough to do sometimes. But realize that there’s someone just like you sitting on the receiving end before sending a flamer.

Don't Let Greed Become One of Your Marketing Tools

Don’t Let Greed Become One of Your Marketing Tools

Greed Is Greed

Similar to social media lust, greed would have you buying followers, when instead the focus should be on creating good content, sharing, and reaching out to others in your social media sphere. If greed is one of your marketing tools, as the above quote from Jon Foreman says, we lose part of our humanity. And become more like Gordon Gecko.

Greed Asks You To Buy Followers

Greed Asks You To Buy Followers

Envy

Keeping up with the Joneses (or even the other moose) never works well. Instead of envying what someone else has done, why not measure yourself against yourself?

Keeping up with the other moose never works

Keeping up with the other moose never works

Gluttony

On social media, gluttony is that inability to get offline. There’s always one more tweet to send, one more post to comment on, or one more meme to see. Gluttony results in burnout. Keeping balance can be difficult when there is so much information available. And being focused on quality over quantity is just as difficult.

Pride or Vanity

Pride is what we feel when others comment on our beautiful photos, or our huge numbers of followers. When one of our posts go “viral” online our ego becomes enormous, and threatens to pop like a giant balloon. Pride has been called “the mother of all sins.” In social media terms, if you are always asking others to share your tweets because you think they’re so wonderful, follow you everywhere before anyone knows you, or ask for favors ceaselessly, then pride has taken hold.

Attention Feeds Our Pride

Attention Feeds Our Pride

Is There An Eighth Sin?

Surely I must’ve missed one or two. Did I?

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Twitter Improvements We’d Like to See*

June 18, 2015 By 6 Comments
Twitter Improvements We’d Like to See*

Twitter Improvements We’d Like to See*

Twitter has been around since 2006, and since then has improved its interface and its service. With over 300 million active users, you’d think that for that next round of improvements, a little crowdsourcing would be in order. Or maybe they could just ask me. Here, then, are a few unsolicited improvements. Here is Twitter’s wiki, in case you’d like to read about its history.

*And by “we,” I mean “I.”

How about a better chat solution for Twitter?

How about a better chat solution for Twitter?

Blocking

You can already easily block users who bother you on Twitter with a couple of clicks of your mouse. What I’m referring to are annoying types of messages, such as people who only tweet about chihuahuas during #ChihuahuaChat. Perhaps, as Adam Khan suggests (see below), a better chat solution that doesn’t clog up users’ streams. Adam’s other suggestions are fab, too.

Opt-in DMs

Recently, Twitter decided in its infinite wisdom that LONGER direct messages would be a good idea. Excuse me, did anyone ask me? No. How about this: if I like you, I can turn on direct messages? This would save us all the trouble of unfollowing those who decide that within 10 seconds of following you I’d want to follow you on Facebook, LinkedIn, plus buy your friendship bracelets on Etsy. Because come on! DMs are horrible enough already without making them longer. By the way, if you’re a newbie, here are my Twitter: Top Ten Terms and Power Tips.

Easier Image Sharing

Do you know how long it took to figure out how to share an image on Twitter? And then to schedule those tweets with images? Not so straightforward. Of course, tweets with images or video get shared much more, so everyone has to learn how to do this.

Fix the Number One Mistake Everyone Makes on Twitter

Fix the Number One Mistake Everyone Makes on Twitter

Fix the Number One Mistake Everyone Makes on Twitter

Yes, we all feel special because we know that we have to put a “.” or a quotation mark in front of that “@” for it to be seen. But now that we feel special, how about fixing it, Twitter? Wouldn’t that make Twitter a tiny bit more accessible? Because people really don’t get this! Even seasoned users are surprised by this, as Gary Vee explains in his Slideshare, above.

The Discover Tab

Bring it back, Twitter. It was a great way to discover content! The replacements (recaps and MagicRecs) are dumb.

Twitter Could Take a Cue from Pinterest

Take a Cue from Pinterest

In general, how about taking a cue from Pinterest? Here’s a look behind the scenes at Pinterest, by the way. Nearly every day I log into Pinterest and there’s something cool, such as what’s trending on search (see above), promoted pins, or the new “buy it now” button. And although I love Twitter, I’d like to see more innovation, or at the very least something that makes me laugh out loud.

How About "Twitter Succeeds" as the next trending topic?

How About “Twitter Succeeds” as the next trending topic?

Got an Upgrade for Twitter?

I’m a huge fan of twitter. And I hope that you are, too. If you have an improvement or upgrade, I’d love to hear from you! Leave me a comment.

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Ten of the Worst Social Media Managers

May 21, 2015 By 23 Comments
Ten of the Worst Social Media Managers

Ten of the Worst Social Media Managers

Last week, you might have read my post about Finding Your Next Social Media Manager. If you search Google to find a good Social Media Manager (“SMM”), you’ll find all kinds of advice. However, bad advice is rare! Just kidding.

Here, then, are ten types of terrible social media managers. These people put in the extra work to be really, really bad. And if that’s not enough for you, here are some Bad Social Media Manager Secrets.

Does your candidate send Twitter DMs like this one?

Does your candidate send Twitter DMs like this one?

The Direct Message Twitter SMM

The most terrible SMMs send direct messages on Twitter like “Follow us on Facebook!” or “Buy my book!” for no reason. And a link. But the very best of the worst? Those ask you to connect in two places, along with cute emoji, before you’ve even read one of their tweets! Now that’s going the extra mile!

Does Your New Social Media Manager Say She's an Expert?

Does Your New Social Media Manager Say She’s an Expert?

The One Pin Per Board Pinner

This SMM is on Pinterest and has boards with one or two pins each. And they should call themselves a Social Media Expert. After all, since it’s on the Internet it must be true!

The "Social Proof" SMM Buys Followers

The “Social Proof” SMM Buys Followers

The “Social Proof” SMM Who Buys Followers

Having “social proof” is a good thing, right? And followers are so cheap! For $59, you can get thousands of them. Never mind that they’re bots from Indonesia, thousands of miles away from your local brick-and-mortar business. Your new SMM prospect should recommend that you buy followers.

Does your SMM Post from Facebook to Twitter?

Does your SMM Post from Facebook to Twitter?

The “One Size Fits All” SMM

Your new friend should never change their tone of voice, and should use the same post on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, whatever. If the post is too long for one platform, it can break right in the middle of the sentence. As long as lots of people see your posts that’s all that matters.

The UnSocial Social Manager

Your new BFF should never engage with anyone. They can ignore comments, shares, retweets and save themselves a lot of time. There are only so many hours in the day, after all! If you want to know why brands are still using broadcasting in social media, Emma Pauw can tell you why.

The Drunk Poster Sometimes Deletes Posts the Next Day

The Drunk Poster Sometimes Deletes Posts the Next Day

The Drunk Poster

Drinking and posting is the hallmark of a very successful bad SMM. And then deleting all the bad posts and arguments the next day? Even better.

Is Your SMM a Debbie Downer?

Is Your SMM a Debbie Downer?

Debbie or Danny Downer

Your SMM should be heard muttering at all hours that “nothing will ever work.” Things always go from bad to worse, people can’t be trusted, and Murphy’s Law always prevails.

The Overposter

This person posts 60 posts in the space of five minutes, then nothing for two days. What’s wrong with that, you might ask?

Is Your SMM Inflexible?

Is Your SMM Inflexible?

The Inflexible SMM

Why would your SMM ever change his or her strategy on social media? Just because Facebook reduced its reach, or Pinterest added promoted pins, or tweets got indexed by Google? Pffft. No reason!

Does your SMM Use Klod to Measure Influence?

Does your SMM Use Klod to Measure Influence?

The Klod Watcher SMM

Your new bestie should always watch their influence ranking on sites like Klod (not its real name). That’s what real SMMs do, don’t they?

Your Turn!

What did I leave out? Let me know in the comments! Thanks!

 

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Finding Your Next Social Media Manager

May 14, 2015 By 6 Comments
Finding Your Next Social Media Manager

Finding Your Next Social Media Manager

Wikipedia is not going to help you much with finding your next Social Media Manager (“SMM”). In fact, Wikipedia can’t tell you anything about how to choose an SMM. Google can help to some extent, if you get your search terms correct, and focus on a good headline. (By the way, if you’d like to know about writing headlines, those can be a pain in the asterisk!) So what can help you? Here are some ideas.

1. Don’t look under a rock. Hint: Those are worms!

If you want to find a good SMM, you might want to look around on social media. Check on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or wherever you’d like to be posting. See if the person you’d like to hire is posting there, too. Their posts don’t have to be perfect (because, after all, they’re busy with clients), but they should have some posts of substance.

2. Check out their websites and social platforms.

Most SMMs have a website, although I know some fab ones who don’t. Check out their testimonials and what other people are saying about them. If you can’t find anything, you could ask for testimonials directly. See whether their website has been updated in, say, the last two months. It should be active. And of course, check out their social platforms.

Check out websites and social platforms

Check out websites and social platforms

3. Read their blog.

Does your SMM have a blog and do they post about social media? That would be a good thing, especially if you need help with blogging. Is their writing clear? Do you like their style? If they’re writing about Twitter, for instance, do they include particulars that you like?

When you read a SMM's blog, do you like the particulars?

When you read a SMM’s blog, do you like the particulars?

4. Look at their writing skills.

These days, many SMMs have degrees in writing or related fields. If you want your SMM to do a bit of writing for you, a degree in English could be beneficial. Or perhaps experience writing. Some SMMs, myself included, have a background in technical writing. If you have a particular grammatical mistake that bugs you, such as the abuse of commas, check their work for that. Here’s a list of 10 Common Grammar Mistakes (“lose” and “loose” are often confused).

5. Ensure that they embrace “social.”

Broadcasting your message over and over (and over!) is old-school marketing. Make sure that your SMM enjoys interacting with others. Saying hello, while it sounds simple, usually causes others to say “hello” back! Engaging with others on social media is the fastest way to an engaged and engaging account on any platform.

Ensure that you SMM embraces "social."

Ensure that your SMM embraces “social.”

6. Ask them some questions.

For instance, ask about their least favorite platform. That should help you get some idea of what their favorite platform is and isn’t. Also, ask which subjects to avoid. There are many more questions you can ask.

Ask about their least favorite platform

Ask about their least favorite platform

7. Your SMM should be excited at your success!

When you make sales, or when your posts are shared with lots of people, your SMM should be happy for you! They should have in mind a vision for you and for your success. After all, it’s in both your interests that you should succeed.

Finding a good social media manager shouldn’t be this hard, right?

With overpriced agencies and undervalued CMOs, it’s a serious challenge to find that juggernaut to pave the way for your future marketing strategy. Do you have a successful story where your SMM has developed your online presence into what you wanted? We would truly like to hear about your experience(s).

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Promote Your Book with Pinterest: 5 Best Ways

April 23, 2015 By 4 Comments
Promote Your Book with Pinterest: 5 Best Ways

Promote Your Book with Pinterest: 5 Best Ways

As promised, here is the second in the series of about promoting on social media for authors. If you missed the first one, here is Promote Your Book on Social Media: Extend Your Reach. Keep your eyes open for more in the series soon!

Pinterest Basics

If you’ve never been on Pinterest, or need a refresher, here you go:

Set Up a Business Account

Make sure that you have a Pinterest business account so that you can access the analytics. The analytics help you see which pins are getting the most traffic so you can duplicate your efforts later.

Master the Basics | Photo by Bengisu Kaya

Master the Basics | Photo by Bengisu Kaya

Get Your Website Verified

The little red checkmark next to your website (see image below) gives you more credibility. Here’s how to claim your website from the folks at Pinterest.

Link your Pinterest to Facebook and Twitter

Link your Pinterest to Facebook and Twitter

Link Your Pinterest to Your Twitter and Facebook

Pinterest defaults to your personal Facebook account, so you may want to put your business Facebook account in your profile somewhere (unless you’re using your personal Facebook account to promote).

Have a Book Board

Your book board could have lots of snippets from your book. Make sure you completely fill out each pin with a full description (this means key words). For instance, instead of “great chapter,” say something like “here are ways to sell your Avon products, in infographic format” (or whatever the chapter is about). You could create a simple and short hashtag, too, such as #DIY.

Create a Book Board with Favorite Authors

Create a Book Board with Favorite Authors

Make sure your book board is up at the top of your account. Most people are on mobile these days, so if your board is at the top of your account, others will see it first. Right next to your book board, put your most popular board. So if your board about tamale recipes is getting lots of repins, put that board next to your book board. Optimise your Pinterest board by telling people what the board is about.

Photo of Edward Gorey © 2004 Steve Marsel Studio Inc.

Photo of Edward Gorey © 2004 Steve Marsel Studio Inc.

Create Boards of Your Favorite Authors

Create a variety of boards to interest your readers. For instance:

  • pins of your favorite authors,
  • how to edit, and
  • how to write.

Reveal your personal interests on Pinterest to attract more potential readers.

Pinterest is about 80% women, so boards need to be beautiful and appeal to women. You could also include boards on humor, lifestyle, characters in your book, a place board in the location where your book takes place, etc. Be generous to other pinners by liking, commenting on and repinning their pins.

Has This Been Helpful?

Use some of these hints and let me know how you do with them!

 

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