Friday, January 30, 2015

Social Media Marketing: Tips and Hints All Time Blog Stats

I'm one of those weird people that like looking at stats and seeing what posts have been the most popular in the last year. This helps me get an idea of what people are interested in reading about, but also tells me what I did right (perhaps) in marketing those pieces. Since I launched the blog in Nov. 2013 and it's now Jan. 2015, I figured it would be a good time to look at the five most popular posts between then and now.

The most popular post, beating the next most popular post by 69 hits, was "Tuesday Tips: Spell Check Before You Post".  This post had a total of 167 hits as of Jan. 28, 2015.  It was published July 8, 2014, and, honestly, just gave a common sense tip - to spell check before you post so you don't make a bad impression on your fans. As I recall, it was a pretty heavily retweeted post, which kinda mystifies me.

The next most popular post was "Wednesday Words: Social Lead Generation" and had a total of 98 hits thus far.  It was published July 2, six days before the above post was posted.

The third most popular post was a post I posted this year on Jan. 17 - "Saturday Sharing: 10 Steps to Creating a Winning Social Media Strategy."  I think I can attribute this to the SEO - especially the fact Social Media Strategy is in the title.  Still, it's pretty impressive to see this post has 81 views in the 11 days since it was posted.  At this rate, in a year it should still be in the Top 5 posts on the site.

The fourth most popular post was another "Tuesday Tips: Gain More Followers" which had 72 hits and was posted May 20, 2014.  I can understand why this one was popular - many people and brands want to know how to gain more followers on Twitter as well as other social media.

The fifth, and final, most popular post was one "The Monday Search: Job Listings Current as of 12/29/14".  While the job search/job posting posts are the most popular on a weekly basis, it was pretty surprising to see this one rise into the top 5 - and stay in the top 10 for the past few weeks - with a total of 60 views thus far.  This one I am a bit confused on.  I'm not sure what made it more popular than any of the other Job Listings, which average around 30ish hits total.

I look forward to looking back in six months and a year from now to see what's at the top, what's replaced what and what's trending then.

Friday Facts: The History and Power of #Hashtags

Did you know there was a history behind hashtags before Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, etc. (all of whom use #hashtags to denote topics)?  It started back in the early days of the Internet on mIRC then in 2007 spread to Twitter and grew from there.

Check out this awesome infographic on the Power/History of Hashtags and how trending topics are important too.

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/418412621604584947/
Original article: http://www.business2community.com/infographics/history-power-hashtags-social-media-marketing-infographic-0997768

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Thursday Tutorials: Changing Order of Tabs on Your Facebook Page

One of the most common questions I get for clients is "Can we change the order of tabs/apps on my Facebook page?"  The answer is "Yes.  Absolutely."  

Much like last week's tutorial, Changing the Order of Sections on Your Page's Timeline, this week's tutorial shows it is pretty easy to make changes to your page yourself.

Click on the "More" Button in your Tabs area.  This should open up a drop down menu that looks similar to this:

Click on Manage Tabs.

This will open up a pop-up menu similar to last week's window, but with your tabs instead of your sidebar.

Drag and drop them into whatever order you want them to appear in, as seen below:

Click Save.  Just like last week, it will force the page to reload and you'll see the tabs reordered, just like below:

It's that easy. 

Thursday Tutorials are a series of tutorials designed to help people who may not be as Facebook savvy as other people. Some tutorials will be targeted towards newbies to the social media world, others will include tutorials for more advanced users. Thursday Tutorials are written for the layman and are designed with everyone in mind. You can find all the Thursday Tutorials by clicking on the Thursday Tutorials tag below.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Wednesday Words: Extended circles

Early last year one of the words we defined as part of the Social Media Marketing Wednesday Words was Circles.  Circles is how you arrange your connections within Google +.  You can group your connections into circles with which you then select the names of the circles you want to share your posts with.

But there's also extended circles on Google+.  Extended circles includes not only the people in your circles but the people who are in your circles' circle (aka a friend of a friend can see your post).

With Google+ you can chose for your post to only be shared with your circle or if you want people in the extended circles to be able to see your post.  When you chose to let extended circles see your post, your post could appear on their news feed instead of in just your friend's news feed.

Something to keep in mind when sharing with circles and extended circles on Google+.

Wednesday Words are a series of definitions released on Wednesday each week regarding a word found specific to Facebook's social media platform, or may be a generic word dealing with social media. These definitions are to help provide you with a better understanding of common and uncommon terms associated with Facebook and social media. You can find all the Wednesday Words by clicking on the Wednesday Words tag below.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Tuesday Tips: Watch and learn

Today's tip comes from a quote from Twitter:
“Be a lurker in social media before diving in to learn the ropes and create a strategy that will work for your biz.”
--Alyssa Gregory, The Small Business Bonfire
@AlyssaGregory
Or, to summarize: Watch and learn.

This is actually pretty solid advice if you stop to think about it. You can learn a lot about social media by watching brands similar to yours to see what they do, what they do successfully and learn from it, then adapt it to what you want to do with your brand.

When I first started out in social media, I did a lot of watching. Then I attended a few small conferences here and there to learn more.  These conferences offered some of the same advice - look at what your competitors are doing, then mimic it.  But when you mimic, don't make the mistake and do exactly what they are doing.  Customize it and make it your own.

Making something your own is what makes you unique in the world of social media. Take what you see working for someone else and turn it into something that works for you.

Good luck!

Tuesday Tips are a series of tips released on Tuesday each week regarding a hint or tip to help you manage and market your Facebook presence better.  You can find all the Tuesday Tips by clicking on the Tuesday Tips tag below.

Monday, January 26, 2015

The Monday Search: Job Listings as of 01/26/2015

There are many jobs available out there for people knowledgeable about Social Media, but sometimes finding the job isn't easy.

Don't worry! Each week (when I have time) I will be featuring 3-5 jobs currently available as of Monday. Additional sites will be linked at the very bottom of the article and listed as sources. Other sites may be listed as well.

Here are this week's job listings I found interesting:

Wolverine World Wide is hiring a Social Media Manager in the Greater Boston Area

Responsibilities:

  • Refine & evolve the social media strategy/plan by platform (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc), review competitive positioning and execute tactics to achieve business objectives.
  • Develop strategy for social integration into company owned retail locations and help provide social support for our wholesale partners.
  • Curate relevant content to reach the audience most likely to engage with SRCG.
  • Develop and manage editorial calendar with input from Social Media task force.
  • Monitor, listen and respond to customers in a “Social” way while cultivating channel agnostic brand loyalty and sales.
  • Develop and expand community and/or blogger outreach efforts in conjunction with the Brand/PR and Digital Marketing teams.
  • Oversee design (ie: Facebook Timeline cover, profile pic, thumbnails, ads, YouTube branding, Twitter profile).
  • Design, create and manage promotions and Facebook ad campaigns.
  • Develop and  publish social media metrics dashboard. Analyze, review, and report on effectiveness of campaigns in an effort to maximize results.
  • Become an advocate for SRCG in Social Media spaces, engaging in dialogues and answering questions where appropriate.
  • Work with Content Manager to implement a proactive strategy for capturing customer online reviews.
  • Monitor trends in Social Media tools, applications, channels, design and strategy. Monitor effective benchmarks for measuring the impact of Social Media programs.
  • Work with key stakeholders to ensure plans are integrated, meeting overall brand and commerce objectives.
  • Manage vendor relationships by establishing objectives, developing statements of work, reviewing creative briefs, leading cross-functional teams and holding partners accountable for achieving agreed-upon deliverables
  • Work with internal and external resources to drive the SRCG’s multi-channel strategy and goals in emerging social media, build the appropriate business cases and gain the executive sponsorship to execute

Qualifications:

  • 3-5 years developing integrated social/digital marketing plans and managing budgets, preferably in retail
  • Ability and desire to work at both the strategic and tactical levels, with proven success at developing integrated digital campaigns from strategy through execution
  • Strong working knowledge of and experience with various social media technologies, platforms (Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, etc) and practices to deliver an exceptional online consumer experience desired
  • Proven ability to make solid recommendations in ambiguous situations that achieve business objectives. Strong track record of leveraging data driven research/analysis to drive strategic direction and optimize social media programs. Must have familiarity with web analytics tools
  • Must be results oriented – with a high degree of personal initiative and leadership in a fast-paced, fluid and lower resourced environment
  • Proven ability to work under pressure, prioritize work and meet multiple deadlines. Excellent project management and organizational skills with a strong attention to detail
  • Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills - a proven track record of leadership across functional lines that delivers business results,
  • Must have strong consumer understanding skills, ability to translate customer insights into successful marketing programs and a high degree of creativity to find new, compelling ways to reach and communicate to consumers
  • Demonstrates creativity and documented immersion in Social Media. (Give links to profiles as examples).
  • Maintains excellent writing and language skills, and displays ability to effectively communicate information and ideas in written and video format.
  • Maintains a working knowledge of principles of SEO including keyword research. Highly knowledgeable in the principles of “Search and Social”.
  • Demonstrates winning Social Customer Service techniques. Possesses great ability to identify potential negative or crisis situation and apply conflict resolution principles to mitigate issues.
  • BA required. MBA preferred

For more information: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs2/view/28159296?trk=jserp_job_details_text

Royal Caribbean International is hiring a Social Media Manager in Miami/Fort Lauderdale Area

Responsibilities:

  • Assist in the development of the strategic roadmap for social media integration throughout the cruise vacation planning experience by driving integration where appropriate, including onboard our ships
  • Work with the appropriate internal departments and external partners to drive decisions regarding Social Media tools, applications, channels, design and strategy.
  • Assist driving Royal Caribbean¿s content strategy across all digital and social ecosystems.
  • Work with eCommerce team to drive purchase intent through content marketing via paid media amplification.
  • Manage the Social Media team, ensuring leadership, quality of strategic execution and project delivery is provided at all times
  • Coordinate the planning of social media campaigns, ensuring customer acquisition and supporting key marketing initiatives
  • Work with the Guest Relations team to ensure flawless execution in the resolution Customer Service issues across all Social Media properties via listening and publishing platforms
  • Continuously optimize efforts by setting benchmarks and analyzing data, ensuring campaign targets are met
  • Source and manage relationships with strategic partners, social media agencies and social monitoring platforms to support and develop operational and commercial opportunities
  • Monitor and comment on trends in social media trends and application, acting as subject matter expert within the company
  • Become an advocate for the company in industry Social Media spaces, engaging in dialogues where appropriate.
  • Monitor the marketplace and be aware of innovations, changes and developments
  • Identify competitive opportunities and threats in social channels and develop appropriate responses
  • Manage staff, provide ongoing coaching and feedback and assist in use of personal development plans and periodic performance reviews to meet individual staff goals.
  • Performs other duties as required.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree required preferable in marketing or in a relevant field
  • Minimum 6 years experience in digital and social media marketing, ideally with driving social media in large, complex, and aggressive organizations.
  • Proficient in content marketing theory and application. Experience sourcing and managing content development and publishing.
  • Exhibits the ability to jump from the creative side of marketing to analytical side, able to demonstrate why their ideas are analytically sound.
  • Displays in-depth knowledge and understanding of Social Media platforms, their respective participants (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest etc.) and how each platform can be deployed in different scenarios.
  • Maintains excellent writing and language skills.
  • Enjoys a working knowledge of the blogging ecosystem relevant to the Company's field.
  • Displays ability to effectively communicate information and ideas in written and video format.
  • Is a Team player with the confidence to take the lead and guide other employees when necessary. (ie: content development, creation and editing of content, and online reputation management).
  • Makes evident good technical understanding and can pick up new tools quickly.
  • Maintains a working knowledge of principles of SEO including keyword research
  • Possesses functional knowledge and/or personal experience with WordPress.
  • Demonstrates winning Social Customer Service techniques. Possesses great ability to identify potential negative or crisis situation and apply conflict resolution principles to mitigate issues.

For more information: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs2/view/25813894?trk=jserp_job_details_text

SheKnows Media is hiring a Social Media Editor/Manager in New York, NY

Responsibilities:
We are looking for a creative Social Media Manager that can help lead the social strategy for our online media properties: StyleCaster and SheKnows.

Social is a key part of our identity both as a content leader and as a company and the Social Media Manager will be responsible for crafting innovative new strategies and ideas around our existing community, as well as other social platforms. This position play a key role on our editorial team, offering the opportunity to lead social media accounts that already have massive followings and brand recognition!

The ideal candidate will have proven experience in social media, and should have a strong knowledge of the style, beauty, and pop culture or women's lifestyle space (from food to parenting to relationships).

We are looking for a rock star, a self-starter and a smart strategist who fits with our dynamic culture and works well with our dedicated teams!

Qualifications: 

  • 4-7 years of experience in social media, as well as a successful track record of managing big social accounts across different platforms
  • Experience with social media analytics, listening metrics, keyword tracking, and third-party reporting tools
  • Working knowledge of Wordpress, Adobe Social, Google Analytics and SEO keyword tools
  • Working rolodex of both third-party and in-house social media partners, as well as top players and influencers in the digital lifestyle space
  • Exceptional collaboration skills; adept at balancing department needs that are both creative and technical

For more information: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter-jobs/jobview.asp?joid=175589&page=1

Other listings:
The Monday Search is a brief listing of jobs available for those in the social media marketing field. All jobs are found through internet searches and are just featured because they are of interest to me. Monday Searches will contain links to sites with other job listings in addition to the ones listed here.  If you are interested in having a Social Media job opening featured for your company, please send me a message via Facebook on my page or my profile.