THE SOCIAL PRESS December 2014
www.NewMediaAngels.com
THE SOCIAL PRESS VOLUME 04 | DECEMBER 2014
03 TOP STORIES 04 EDITOR 16 QUOTE OF THE MONTH 19 TOOL REVIEW 22 ANGELS ON THE LOOSE 23 CARTOON OF THE MONTH
HOW TO BOOST YOUR ENGAGEMENT
05 ON YOUR SOCIAL PROFILES BY HANNAH
GOOD PR STORY 20 A BY PETE WALTER STEPS TO INSTANTLY IMPROVE
08 YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
20
BY DOMINICA
POSTING VIDEOS ON SOCIAL
12 MEDIA.
BY CHARLOTTE
SOCIAL MEDIA 14 MAKING MANAGEMENT EASY BY CHARLOTTE
SPOTLIGHT ON TWO NEW
18 INNOVATIVE IDEAS BY CEMANTHE
11 SOCIAL MEDIA WISHES MEDIA RESOLUTIONS 17 SOCIAL FOR 2015 December 2014
New Media Angels
22
03
TOP STORIES
1. How Successful Marketers Use Pinterest to Drive Conversions. Here’s a pretty crazy stat: Pinterest users pin more than 3,400 pins a minute. That’s good news for marketers using it in their campaigns – the more time people spend interacting with pins, the more exposure they have to your brand and the more likely they are to convert. And I’ve got the numbers to prove it: - Shopify research that shows that Pinterest users are 10% more likely to buy than those referred from other social sites. - Pinterest drives 300% more revenue per click than Twitter and 27% more than Facebook. With all this opportunity to convert leads, people are finding original and effective ways to use Pinterest to achieve their KPIs. Here’s how successful marketers use Pinterest to drive conversions – and how you can steal their strategies for your own marketing campaigns. http://unbounce.com/social-media/how-successfulmarketers-use-pinterest-to-drive-conversions/
2. Twitter’s new focus on DMs could mean more revenue too. Ask anyone who uses Twitter what their biggest gripe about the service is, and the answer may very well be DMs. Direct Messages (DMs, aka private messages between users) are a part of Twitter that ‘power’ users have been hooked on since before
WhatsApp, WeChat, Line and other billion dollarvalued mobile messaging apps even existed. And yet, the feature was buried inside Twitter’s Web and mobile apps for so long — the company once even considered dispensing with it altogether. Times have changed. DMs have been in a state of upgrade for some time — try sending links right now, many people can’t — but, as MG Siegler points out writing for TechCrunch, the company is finally talking about its plans which suggests an upgrade is arriving imminently. http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2014/08/12/twitters-newfocus-dms-mean-revenues/
3. What Facebook and Twitter’s Buy Button Means For Small Businesses. If you haven’t already heard, there’s been quite the buzz around Facebook and Twitter the past couple of months. And rightfully so – they’re both inching closer and closer to making widespread moves that could have potentially huge positive effects for small business owners such as yourselves. For many, social media has largely been attributed as a tool to build a business’s brand and feature products, but Facebook and Twitter are working to shift the climate towards social commerce, i.e. the buying and selling of goods on social media. http://vionic.com/site/blog/what-facebook-and-twittersbuy-button-means-for-small-businesses/
Cemanthe New Media Angels
December 2014
04
A Note from the Editor It has definitely been an interesting couple of months since we sent you our last magazine. I’ve stayed mostly at home while I settled in to my new place by the sea and as one of our clients jokingly said “we must be paying you too much if you live by the sea” I just want to assure you this is not the case....rent here is 3 times cheaper than London so I’m actually saving you money! ;) In terms of business I would say now with all honesty that having your health is more important than anything at the end of the day, having gone through my heart related surgery in Sept. Once that’s gone, everything else is insignificant, so look after yourself! Take your vitamins, go on weekends away, put down the mobile phone. Another reason to put down your phone and step away from emails, the internet and social media is to spend time with family! I also attended my grandmothers funeral in September, as you know, and even though she was a good old 93 years young, many of the people still muttered “I wish I’d spent more time with her”. Folks, social media, business, emails...they can all wait. Christmas is a time of family and giving and sharing and being together. As you know, we don’t close totally over Christmas and there is always an angel to look after your social media, so I give you permission to take some time out! :) Hannah has also put some articles together as it’s the season to be jolly and engaging. Charlotte this month covers videos which is great timing as we’ve just released two new services; Doodle Videos and Explaniner Videos...perfect way to show, short and fun, what you do and how it benefits your audience. I will hopefully see all of you before the Christmas break coming up soon, but if I don’t or if I do, have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and see you in 2015!
Cemanthe December 2014
New Media Angels
How to boost your engagement on your social profiles It’s all well and good that we here at New Media Angels believe that engagement is key to a social media profile’s success, but it can be tough to get that conversation started, continued and to get new people to join in. Let me just share a little secret with you, before you get concerned about little to no engagement on any of your profiles – it takes time! Social media, like a good friendship, referral partnership or client relationship, takes
time and quite a bit of effort on your (or your manager’s) side. Phew, at least that one is out in the open. How can you boost the engagement on your social profiles? Well, with a little effort and clever content you can get that all important conversation started, here are my profile specific tips, for the top 4 players.
continued...
New Media Angels
December 2014
06
This can be a toughie to crack, especially if you are a Facebook business page, rather than just a profile, but I think I’ve had a few ways to help get the likes, comments and all important shares of your posts, here are some of my insider tips:
1 2
1
3
2
4
3
Use images. They stand out in the newsfeed of your fans, and if they are funny, enticing or personal, it will get even more of a double take! Share advice. People are following your page for a reason, they either want to buy from you already or they were enticed by what you can offer. So share advice within your industry, for example if you sell beauty products or are a health & beauty business, you can share current fashion trends, your favourite designers of the season, healthy recipes and beauty tips. Ask questions. People love to answer! With the images you are already using, you can grab people’s attention and then get them to comment on the post by asking them a quick and easy to answer question. One of our best posts was one for an eye-care company who shared that eyes are all unique, what colour are your eyes? We shared an image of one of the team’s eyes and they had countless comments with images of their fan’s eyes – great engagement and these will all get shown in their friends newsfeeds too!
Utilise competitions. If you have products, you can offer freebies in return for specific entries, like a share and a like on a post. This will get your brand out there to many more people, as well as getting someone to use your products and, hopefully, rave about them too! You need to have an engaged fan base for a competition to work well, so we recommend putting a lot of work into the above three tips before you get into a competition, and you will really need to put a competition strategy together before just posting one!
Hannah December 2014
Google+
New Media Angels
One of the fastest growing social networks of 2014, but it can be a little article-heavy, with little to no engagement on many posts. How can you be in the niche of pages that get engagement from your connections?
Join groups. These will have your target audience within them and you can then engage on their posts first. Once you have built your reputation within a few key groups, you can start posting in them too. These people will then want to engage with your posts, thanks to your reputation within the group! Share great content. Don’t just share your blogs or articles, as Google owns YouTube you can easily share great short, snappy and enticing videos – utilise this function! People can watch your videos from your Google+ profile. Make it fun, short and engaging and you will get shares and comments. You need to also share engaging content with lots of pictures – the newsfeed within Google+ works beautifully with images, so use that to your advantage. You may even be highlighted in someone’s stream so you take up a whole section to yourself! Get Verified. This is so important for a page, you need to verify that your website is yours, your tech team can do this for you. You can then be found on the Google search engine and get more connections thanks to this feature. 4 Add images to your profile, cover and featured images. These are essential to sharing your brand. You can have them personalised, as we do each month, or simply a cover and profile image that reflects your brand. You can then add the top 10 images that you want to feature alongside your brand. These could be people, products or something quirky and enticing.
Twitter can be the “noisiest” of all the streams, with such short updates and so many users, it can feel like a minefield when it comes to getting the engagement you want. Here are my tips:
1
Use images. Oh yes, this goes for all of the social networks, as you can see! When using the app, the desktop version and even most dashboards, people will see your images in their stream, so these will get people to want to read your content.
2
It’s down to you. Yes, you need to start the engagement by engaging with others first. You may get lucky and have lots of people wanting to engage with you from the start, but most users will find they need to build a fantastic group of followers around them who are happy to do that by sparking the relationships themselves.
07
The classic business social profile – especially if you are using it to build your contacts list. But how do you get people to like and comment on your updates?
1
Use Groups! Groups are so important to getting more engagement. Post questions, links to interesting articles you found and to videos. People will reply, especially if it is in a group filled with people who will want to answer a specific question. Be tough with your groups. I recommend only having 10 groups in your profile, remove any that are too quiet or, on the flipside, have too many updates and not enough comments and activity that is relevant to your business.
3
2
4
3
Be yourself! Share personal updates as well as business ones, especially if you want engagement. People will engage with the team-based, personal or spur of the moment style updates within Twitter. It’s just how it is!
Utilise the 80/20 rule. This means 80% of the content you create needs to be engaging, personal and shareable (other people’s content). The other 20% can be to do with your own business. Less salesy, more conversational – that is what social profiles like Twitter crave.
Engage with the Pulse. This is the area where people are posting their own articles as well as leaders in your field. You can select the people and subjects you want to follow the first time (and after) you go into Pulse, so be specific. Then like and comment on relevant posts. Add your own posts! These are fantastic for getting views and engagement. Make it interesting, personal and current. If there has been a recent news story in your industry, post something on LinkedIn about it, with your own views, then share it in your other networks. Then wait for the comments to roll in!
4
Connect with people. If you meet someone at a networking event, have a new connection request or have a great discussion with someone in a group, then connect with them. This is so important to building your network. You should also then engage with them personally, without selling to them.
New Media Angels
December 2014
08
Steps to Instantly Improve Your Social Media Strategy Have you ever wondered why some businesses succeed at social media while others fail? Or why one company seems to make interacting online seem effortless? The difference is a solid social media strategy. Given the fact that 3 in 4 consumers make a buying decision based on online content, wouldn’t you agree that being consistent is critical? That’s where a strategy comes in!
December 2014
New Media Angels
09
1. Define Goals
Your first order of business is defining your goals. Goals are the fuel that propel your online efforts forward. They give a reason and a purpose to what can otherwise be random, sporadic, one-off social media tactics. However, the key to goal setting success is knowing what questions to ask and then writing your answers down. Why is this so important? In a study by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, she found that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down. So, grab your pen and paper and get writing! ASK THESE KEY QUESTIONS: • Who are you looking to connect with? • What type of content will you share? • What are you trying to achieve? Additional exposure, connections with potential clients, more sales? • How much time can you commit to managing your social media? • What does success look like?
2. Stand Out Online
In a social media world where a cookiecutter approach is the norm, creating differentiation is a must. It’s that one thing that sets you apart from your competitors and leaves an indelible mark in the mind of your potential clients. Focus on what your customer wants. Ask yourself everyday whether your message is beneficial and valuable or just contributing to the noise.
3. Know Your Audience
As you go about your day on social media, do you have a defined focus? Have you taken the time to truly understand the needs of your target market? Now is the time to dig in and do some research. Do your homework and get to know who that potential client or consumer is, and be specific. The better you can describe that person, the more likely it is that your message and vision will capture their attention. Here’s a quick way to get inside the head of your target market. YOUR THREE TARGET MARKETS MIGHT LOOK LIKE THIS: 1. Parents of teens 2. Parents of newborns 3. Parents of college students As you can imagine, the problems you solve for each one will be considerably different. Know exactly what those needs are and find ways to meet them in a very real and specific way.
4. Create a Cross-Platform Strategy
Companies succeeding at social media today know where their time is best spent. They also know that different demographic groups use social media in distinctive ways. Take the time to research and understand exactly how, when and why your audience is using social media. Where are they spending their time and how can you best use that social network to support your goals? Dependent on your target market, you might want to focus on Facebook or Twitter. However, you might find that
New Media Angels
December 2014
10 expanding into Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, or LinkedIn is a better conversational tool. 5. Translate Your Established Brand Your online presence is an extension of your offline brand. In order to translate that you need to focus on what you’re trying to convey. ASK YOURSELF A FEW QUESTIONS: • How does your brand make people feel and how will that be seen, heard and felt online? • What is the purpose and what is the brand you are trying to build? • How will your content extend the mission and vision of your brand? • When we look at brands like Starbucks, Apple and Harley Davidson, they all got out of the heads and into the hearts of their audience. They transcended the typical brand stereotype by clearly translating the essence of their brand and creating differentiation within the marketplace.
6. Track, Measure and Adjust
Tracking and measuring your efforts should be the backbone of your social media strategy. But as a business owner or entrepreneur, you’re busy running a company. The idea is to make measurement and tracking as easy as possible. While social media is useful in so many ways, it can also be an enormous time suck if we don’t pay close attention to where our time and efforts are best spent. That’s where analysis comes in. Leverage information available to you in Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, your Google Plus dashboard and any third-party management tool you’re
Dominica December 2014
New Media Angels
using to learn as much as possible about which content is making the biggest splash across your social channels. Evaluate how and why some content works and some falls short. Not everything will work. The key is to identify what is and do more of that. Next Steps Get clear on how you can tackle social media in a productive and meaningful way. YOUR 6-STEP ACTION PLAN Define Your Goals Stand Out Online Research Create an Integrated Strategy Translate Your Established Brand Track and Measure Your Success
• • • • • •
11
Social Media Wishes Mark Zuckerberg taking a break from updating everything on Facebook for maybe just a month so that I can have time to catch up!
Cemanthe For Google + to live up to the hype and become a social network, not just an article feed. That Twitter won’t turn into a Facebook...we love you as you are!
Hannah
I love how I can customize the way text appears in my Google+ updates with bold or italicized text. I wish I could do that on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. It really helps to draw attention to important information you’re sharing. Plain and simple—it also looks more fun and interesting. On Google+, you can share really large photos, which is great! Some photos are too beautiful or full of helpful details that we need to see them at full scale. I don’t want to pick on Twitter because at least they’ve made great strides in the ability to attach photos (up to four in a tweet!) So I’ll pick on Facebook again. When I post a large photo, I wish it would retain its size and not be compressed to a smaller photo for the News Feed or, God forbid, a thumbnail image attached to a link. Once a Facebook post is scheduled in your Activity Log, you can go back and “Reschedule” the post...on the desktop. This option isn’t available in the Facebook Pages Manager app. So again, this is another type of editing wish I have.
Dominica
That the government will fill in all internet rabbit holes. You know how it goes, you clink on a link to something of interest, follow another link at the bottom of that article, and before you know it you are reading salacious gossip on celebrities you didn’t even know existed. The sarcasm font becomes universally adopted - so I don’t have to explain I was only joking. Facebook develop the dislike button. Because sometimes you want to give a big thumbs down to something, if only your sister’s naff Christmas jumper.
Charlotte
New Media Angels
December 2014
Posting Videos on Social Media.
12
December 2014
New Media Angels
13
Videos can be a useful form of content on your website and your Social Media feeds. Videos can act as a news bulletin, be instructional in how to use your product, can introduce clients to team members, or can be a montage of various clips and images to get people excited about a new product or service. However, this doesn’t mean that you need to splash them everywhere. Videos are not shared as much as images as they are less immediate. Unlike text which can be re-read for clarification or translated, videos need you to pay close attention and may be difficult for people who are speakers of other languages or have hearing impairments.
It is easy enough to make a video on a phone or tablet and upload it to youtube - but before you do here are some points to consider: •
•
•
•
Is it worth getting a vimeo account? This is more professional, especially if you are dealing business to business. Does the quality reflect your brand values? Some brands can handle to immediacy of a video shot on an iphone and uploaded straight away. Others need something more polished. Is this the best way of getting the message across? If you are showing people technical details (like how to install your product) it may be that a video works best. Would images work better? Is your content U rated? If your fans have set videos to play automatically on their Facebook feed, for example, they don’t want to be caught out with inappropriate content while at their desk or in front of their children.
Charlotte New Media Angels
December 2014
14
Making Social Media Management Easy Social Media management is an art form, but it needn’t be a nightmare. There are several ways to make it easier to control.
December 2014
•
Take advantage of apps like Hootsuite that allow you to manage your profile, schedule posts, and track interactions in one place. This allows you a good overview.
•
If you are using a team member to run your social media presence, make sure they have the chance to take up training and networking with others in the same role. Having a team member running your social media can make sense - they know the brand well, are up to date on current marketing plans, already have relationships with the various key departments. However, this part of their role needs to be protected by allowing them time to develop their skills and knowledge - otherwise you could be falling behind your competitors.
•
Consider contracting out social media management. If no one in your team has the expertise, or time, to run your social media profiles effectively, why not consider hiring an agency to deal with it for you? You may benefit from their expertise and fresh insight, and you don’t take a team member away from their work for your brand.
New Media Angels
15
Charlotte New Media Angels
December 2014
Quote of the Month
August 2014
New Media Angels
Social Media Resolutions For 2015
17
to be more involved in the managing of our internal social media, not always an easy task when you’re doing it for clients and they’re your main focus! to finally get around to watching and reading all the courses I’ve bought and downloaded to finish or resolve my diploma and get the exam and assignment out of the way.
Cemanthe
To write my own blog posts and enewsletters as well as my clients. To read the emails with interesting facts in my industry, not just save for later.
Hannah
Just one big resolution: finally setup my vegan lifestyle blog and start recording recipe videos
Dominica I will update my profile and cover pictures. I live with a photographer, it shouldn’t be that hard. I will blog more regularly, or indeed, at all. I will chase up all the Social Media accounts I set up and then never did anything with, and either delete them or use them properly - hello Linked In.
Charlotte
New Media Angels
December 2014
18
Spotlight on two new innovative ideas I attended an online conference streamed live from San Francisco and one of the speakers mentioned this fantastic new product on the market (coming soon and being crowd funded) called BlueSmart, the worlds first connected carry on bag. You really had to see it to believe it but it’s amazing what you can do with technology! This bag, connected to an app on your phone, can follow you around the airport, weigh itself, track where it is, charge your phone etc etc seriously awesome! w w w. i n d i e g o g o . c o m / p r o j e c t s / bluesmart-world-s-first-smartconnected-carry-on I also heard about this new tool by Google called The Consumer Barometer which gives you insights to the online community. The Consumer Barometer is a tool to help you understand how people use the Internet across the world. www.consumerbarometer.com/en/ insights/?countryCode=GL
Cemanthe December 2014
New Media Angels
Innovation is key, especially in today’s day and age where nothing is unique. Now unique ideas are merely about looking at what exists and how you can make it better. At New Media Angels one of our company values is Innovation, and for us this means looking at ways that we can both delight and support our clients. So from 2015 you will get a small treat from us each month that you wont get from other agencies (guaranteed) and from now Hannah and I have innovate sessions on a Monday morning to look at new takes on old ways she can use your social media that week to attract business for you. Sometimes innovation is not about being the next Henry Ford and giving people cars when they have horses, or Robert Dyson giving people bagless,... it’s about being Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs...providing something that’s already there, better.
19
Tool Review KanbanFlow
KanbanFlow Is a Fast, Free To-Do Manager with a Built-In Pomodoro Timer
If you’re a fan of the Personal Kanban productivity method, you’re probably familiar with how helpful it can be to keep your focus strictly on the to-dos you have right in front of you, without the distractions of long-term projects or less important items on your list. KanbanFlow is a free webapp that, as the name implies, fits right in, and even includes a built-in Pomodoro timer to help you stay on task. KanbanFlow is completely free to use, and once you’ve signed up the tutorial will walk you through the process of creating tasks, moving them across your boards, flagging your to-dos with colors, adding and managing subtasks, and even setting up the built-in Pomodoro timer to work with
the to-dos you’ve added. Adding items and managing them is super-easy, and you can set a timer for any to-do on your boards, including subtasks. If you don’t want to cram all of your todos onto the same board, you can create as many boards as you want to organize all of your activities. Finally, if you work with other people, you can invite them to the service to work with you, and you’ll be notified when they update your boards. KanbanFlow is currently in beta, but it’s pretty polished and remarkably fast. Even if you’re not specifically searching for a Personal Kanban-style to-do manager, KanbanFlow is worth a look.
Dominica New Media Angels
December 2014
20
A Good PR Story
Guest Writer - Pete Walter
Richard Branson, the UK’s most famous entrepreneur said “publicity is absolutely critical. A good PR story is infinitely more effective than a front page ad”. He should know. Learning how to use the media to build the Virgin brand has been at the heart of Richard Branson’s multi-billion pound story of fame and fortune. My company teaches people who want to take a leaf out of Branson’s book how to become better communicators, be it on the TV, the Radio or even when they are being interviewed for a newspaper or blog. Media training, as we call it, is a well-established business tactic. But so far it’s been the preserve of big business or government that can afford the four-figure-a-day fees it costs to hire an experienced media trainer. At First Take we were determined to level the playing field a little. So thanks to a collaboration with a team of experts including Cemanthe from New Media Angels and Sir Trevor McDonald, we’ve come up with a media training course that starts at just £30, for the first time making the secrets of attracting and leveraging great media coverage accessible and affordable for small businesses, start-ups and individuals. It’s called Deal with the Media with Sir Trevor McDonald.
August 2014
New Media Angels
Like conventional media training our course teaches how to attract press coverage, how to turn good publicity into great publicity and how to minimise the damage from bad news. But the difference with our course is that it’s largely e-learning, with the trainee able to take the course at their own pace via computer, phone or tablet from anywhere with an internet connection. For those that want to take their training a step further there’s an option to book a private consultation over skype with one of our experts.
21
The course is made up of 6 modules on getting the media’s attention, essential interview technique, specialist tips on radio/tv/written media, online & social media and finally crisis media. It also comes with a 60 page accompanying to get the edge on your business rivals, handbook and an interview preparation we very much hope this course will template that will help you nail every help. media performance. 15% discount for clients. The discount A recent study by recruitment giant code is NMANGELS Towers Watson suggested that companies that were identified Pete Walter is the director of First Take as effective communicators were – a media training company based in three and a half times more likely to London. He’s the producer of Deal with outperform their rivals. So if you want the Media with Sir Trevor McDonald.
New Media Angels
December 2014
22
Angels on the Loose These last two months have been quiet for us as I plot and plan for 2015, settle into my new house and schedule, and recuperate from surgery. However, as mentioned in my editor letter, we’ve now added the two new services of Doodle Videos and Explainer Videos and started the very exciting project of illustrating a childrens book on Personal Safety (which will be sold in schools and to teachers). I’ve also just started visiting a new local business networking group which is proving to be fun, albeit early am, and generally trying to unpack boxes and get my office sorted!
December 2014
New Media Angels
Cartoon of the Month
New Media Angels
December 2014
www.Facebook.com/NewMediaAngels
www.Twitter.com/NewMediaAngels
www.youtube.com/user/NewMediaAngels
www.linkedin.com/in/cemanthe
What we stand for: http://youtu.be/I1ennL4mK-E Web: www.NewMediaAngels.com Email: cemanthe@NewMediaAngels.com Direct Tel: (+44) 07886 593 076
pinterest.com/newmediaangels/