Friday, June 6, 2014

Friday Facts: Instagram Beats Facebook and Twitter for Brand Engagement

Constant Contact often puts out interesting blogs, including those on social media engagement. This article posted a little more than a month ago talks about how Instagram is beating out Facebook and Twitter where brand engagement is concerned.

One of the interesting points in the blog was this:
The report, which looked at more than 3 million user interactions across seven social networks, found that brands on Instagram are seeing a 4.21 percent engagement rate per post.
The article covers a handful of other topics with interesting facts in them as well, all about social media and how we are using it today.  Check it out.  http://blogs.constantcontact.com/product-blogs/social-media-marketing/instagram-user-engagement/

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Wednesday Words: Social Networks

This one is more of a fun word to define, because we are all part of social networks these days.  But the dictionary definitions are a lot of fun to look at, then realize how much further our social networks have grown beyond just the people we associate with day in and day out, to friends of friends and acquaintances and sometimes people we don't even know when we add them to our online social networks.

According to Dictionary.com:
social network
noun
1. a network of friends, colleagues, and other personal contacts: Strong social networks can encourage healthy behaviors.2. Computers.a. an online community of people with a common interest who use a website or other technologies to communicate with each other and share information, resources, etc.: a business-oriented social network.b. a website or online service that facilitates this communication.
Google defines it as:
so·cial net·worknoun1. a network of social interactions and personal relationships.
2. a dedicated website or other application that enables users to communicate with each other by posting information, comments, messages, images, etc.
I find that the changes in definitions over time to be quite interesting.

But it also serves as a good reminder.  Online social networks are great, but being a part of a social network in a social atmosphere is even better.  Don't forget that!

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, June 3, 2014

Tuesday Tips: Don't Hashtag Every Word in Social Media Posts

We've all had a person, or two (or more) that we've followed on Twitter that has committed the social media sin of hashtagging every word in their post.

Not sure what I mean?  Let me give a fictional example.
#WOW #SocialMedia #issocool #Checkoutmyblog.  #writer #blogger #socialmediablog #blogging
Don't be one of -those- guys.  And if you're guilty of being one of those guys, especially when you didn't understand the purpose of hashtags, you're forgiven.  Just don't do it again.

Hashtag only important words or phrases.  Hashtag what pertains to your post.  And definitely don't hashtag every word.  That's a bad, BAD idea.

If you aren't sure what hashtags are out there, search for them.  if similar posts match what your tweet is about, use it.  This rule also applies to Pinterest, Google+ and Facebook.  Just because you can add hashtags to everything doesn't mean you should.  Go for quality over quantity.

Have fun!

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, June 2, 2014

The Monday Search: Job Listings Current as of 06/02/14

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.

Indeed.com is looking for a Social Media Manager in Houston.

A little ironic that one of the sites I use is searching for a social media manager, but hey, every large company needs one, so why not?

Required Skills & Experience: 

  • 5 years experience in communications and at least 3+ in social media
  • Proven track record building brands via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Instagram, etc.
  • Excellent communication, interpersonal and leadership skills
  • Ability to multi-task and manage multiple priorities
  • Experience using various social, SEM and web analytics reporting tools
  • Strong analytics, focused on developing results-driven campaigns
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Bachelors degree required

Key Responsibilities: 

  • Develop a social media strategy designed to grow awareness and consideration of Indeed
  • Create and manage breakthrough social programs/initiatives
  • Build and manage social communities
  • Measure results that track progress with high engagement rates and strong positive brand buzz
  • Partner with Advertising, PR and Product Marketing teams to ensure social amplification on key communication programs
  • Be the go to resource on how to best use social

For more information: http://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=798f60f79d932f4a&q=Social-media&tk=18pdbbvcl19222tu&from=web&advn=1855944161169178&sjdu=UhOL_Gm3AHDkhnoX3rO-OaSM1f1aHYVaLBGbwzgdtjFaPiGHnyF2XvHum_l-9hL6fdsk0FzZ_0GcoxFRm533ke_4zpD_UhfKv-2UbxnnXEi1RZ_8lrt8SRHw3QCzuqG2

Liberty Mutual Insurance is looking for a Social Media Content Manager in Boston

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications or equivalent experience required, Masters preferred.
  • Requires 5-7 years of related experience in Social Media. Social media agency experience is helpful.
  • Have understanding of social media from consumer behavior to technology, and has practiced marketing campaigns in social media and other media.
  • Strong communication skills are required. Advanced writing experience may be required.
  • Familiarity with various computer software and hardware preferred.
Responsibilities:

  • Plans, implements and supports social media marketing initiatives towards meeting the Company's business and marketing strategy and goals.
  • Uses social media to create meaningful engagement with customers and prospects, leading to greater acquisition and retention of customers.
  • Leads range of internal and external partners and agencies to ensure appropriate design and delivery of programs and processes.
  • Manages budgets and contracts.
  • Evaluates effectiveness of social media programs through metrics and analysis.
  • Manage direct report(s).

Big Fish Games is seeking a Social Media Event Coordinator in Seattle.


Skills, experience and educational requirements:
  • Bachelors degree required
  • Understands and engages on popular social media platforms like Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, Reddit and Tumblr.
  • Early adopter of emerging online trends and tools in social media
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
  • Some knowledge of HTML/WordPress
  • Video & Photo editing skills, using tools like Adobe Premier and Photoshop
  • Strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills
  • Illustration & design skills a plus
Responsibilities include:
  • Create sharable marketing messages that resonate with our audiences while meeting the objectives of the business
  • Work closely with social media and SEO teams on content planning, creation & execution
  • Assist in developing and implementing promotional opportunities to gain additional exposure through contests, creative promotions, and more
  • Assist in developing content based strategies, including organic campaigns, resource content, guides, infographics, and guest blogging
  • Create content (copy, images, video, illustrations) for social media and/or work with Art department for content


Only three this week.  However, if you would like to have your job listing featured here, please contact me to make a sponsorship arrangement. Otherwise, I just pick jobs that look interesting to me from the sites listed below.

If you're looking for a job in social media, check out the various listings on these sites as well.  Best of luck!

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.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Friday Facts - Part 2: The 3 Types of Social Networks and What to Post on Them

Once again, Klout has put out a blog post which is very useful to my readers (and even those who are not my readers) regarding the types of social networks and what to post on them.  This one was such a timely post, it couldn't wait to the next free Friday for posts.

You may be asking "What do they mean by types of social networks."  They break down social networks into three platforms: Personal, Content Sharing, and Shared Interest Networks.  Some social media outlets are under more than one of those networks.

Their explanation of social networks, what to post and tips for each network is quite interesting and valuable.

Check out the article via Klout's blog here: http://blog.klout.com/2014/05/3-types-social-networks-use/

Have a good Friday!

Friday Facts: Finding Out the Best Time to Post on Social Media

I've posted a couple of times - here and here in fact - about figuring out what time is the best time to post on your various forms of social media.  This time isn't necessarily the same for all of your pages, in fact the days and times will vary according to your audience.

There are, however, more tools than just the analytic tools offered by Facebook and Google that can help you figure out what times are the ideal time to post-which is what today's Friday Facts linked article is about.  The tools they talk about I hadn't even heard about, which is why I'm sharing the article.  I can still learn things - which is always a good thing.

The article has a lot of useful information as well as information on the tools and how to get them and use them.

Check out the entire article here: http://webquacker.com.au/best-time-post-social-media-is-oh-not-again/

If you have read a useful article you think we should share on this blog, or perhaps you have written some items you'd like us to share, please feel free to get a hold of me on my Facebook page or Google+.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Thursday Tutorials: Creating a Google+ Page

I figure this is the next tutorial in the fun world of Social Media and I have a couple sites I need to create Google+ Pages for, so now is the time to do it.  If you haven't read the tutorial from last week which covers how to chose the proper category for your Google+ page, I suggest stopping here and checking that article out.  Otherwise, if you're confident in being able to chose your category, continue reading.

Just like in the article where we talk about Adding Managers to your page, view your profile in Google+.  You should see a screen like this:


Click on the profile button with the down arrow on the left hand side.  You should get a menu that looks like this:


Click on Pages, which will bring you a page like this (note: mine has pages on it already because I created/manage a handful of pages).


Click on the create a page button and it will automatically take you to the first part of the process where you have to select the category from the five options below (note: fewer main category selections to chose from, but pretty  much similar to Facebook's options).


Click on the category that fits you best.  For the page I am currently creating, I chose Arts, Entertainment or Sports as the page I'm working on right now is for a fansite for a Video Game.

Once you click on that category, just like on Facebook, you have a drop down menu of choices to select from as seen below.  I chose Video Game for this project, though website would have worked just as well.


Once you've finished the selection, click on next.  This will allow you to type in the name of your page as well as the website for it, if you have one.  Options for other categories may be different.


Once the information is typed in and accurate, be sure to click on the I agree to the terms box and click continue.


And the basic part of the page has been created.  Click on "Get Started" which will take you to your page's Dashboard and give you hints and tips to get started, as seen below.


This is pretty straightforward from here, but we'll follow up next week with a tutorial on how to finish setting up your page, including image sizes, and things to do to tweak it.

Until next time.

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.