New Uses forOld Tools

AMA #DigiSigApril 18, 2013

Social Media Trend #1

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Engagement may be queen, but content is still king. Nothing boosts search like social content.

Social Media Trend #2

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Social Media Trend #3

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Twitter

Is Twitter old?

- Just celebrated its 7th birthday!- Now has 500 million daily

tweets and 200 million active users

Unique/unusual/untapped uses

- Hashtag streams on-screen at events- Twitter landing pages/microsites (via Twylah)- . before @ to reach all- Twitter parties- Crowdsourcing

Using Hashtags

- Useful in organizing and trending- Use Hashtag.org to find and track relevant tags- To search hashtags, go to your navigation bar and

enter it into the search field. Results will populate below

- Searches can be saved by clicking on the gear- Recommended uses for hashtags:

- Find people/companies with similar interests- Create conversations around a brand or event- Create structured online events (Twitter Chats)- Monitor topics of interest (i.e., eating local,

conferences, etc.)- Discover new sources and information- Quickly assess sentiment

Using Lists

- What is a Twitter List?- Hand-selected group of Twitter users with a

common interest- Create your own lists or subscribe to lists created

by others- Viewing a list will show you a stream of tweets

from only the users on that list

- Benefits of using Lists:- Easily segment followers

- Industry experts- Media outlets/reporters

- Monitor competitors- Follow or participate in events in real time

Strategic Following to Grow Followers

- Ways to find new followers:- Find handles via Twitter Search- Use Twitter’s recommendations- See who is following/not following

you- Friendorfollow

- Use Twitter handle directories- Twellow - WeFollow

Twitter Contests

- Prizes may be offered for tweeting a particular update, for following a particular user or for posting updates with a specific hashtag

- A few rules to live by: - Discourage the creation of multiple accounts- Discourage the same tweet repeatedly- Ask users to include an @reply to you in their update so you can

see all the entries- Encourage the use of topics relevant to the contest- Full Twitter rules:

https://support.twitter.com/articles/68877-guidelines-for-contests-on-twitter

Facebook

Is Facebook old?

• Facebook will be 10 in February 2014

• Facebook stays “young” by always changing!- Timeline: March 2012- New user timeline: now- Graph search: soon- Rolling newsfeed: now

Unique/unusual/untapped uses

- Interest Lists- Cover image + profile pic integration- Graph search- Schedule/target posts- Highlight/pin posts- Replace website- Blog (via Notes)

Do More with Timeline

Graph search

New “smart” search delivers results based on Likes, connections, etc.

Remember Mobile Users

Apps you create do not show up on mobile – must send users to a unique URL

Schedule/Target Posts

- Status updates can be preloaded, targeted

Content, Content, Content

Make Posts Stand Out

- Highlighted posts (Starred): Becomes widescreen horizontal photos work best

- Pinned posts (Ribbon): displayed at top of page for 7 days

Maximize Milestones

Milestones take up more real estate on page, typically a significant event in your company/organization’s history, opportunity to tell your back story

Facebook Advertising

You can promote: Page, App, Event, External Website- Can target ad audience based on demographics, friends, interests, moreTypes of advertising:- Facebook Ads: appear on right side of your screen - Sponsored Stories: appear in news feed as messages from your friends

about them engaging with Pages, apps or events- Promoted Posts: appear high up in news feed, labeled “Sponsored”

Photos, Photos, Photos!

- Photos and video are the lifeblood of Facebook

- As Guy Kawasaki says, “Facebook is a pictures economy”

- “Often I just put a picture of our sunset or property, and it gets me a few hundred Likes and 30-50 comments. A few times I’ve spent hours creating a huge post, and it doesn’t get nearly the same levels of feedback as that beach picture gets. Sometimes the easy route gets the best results.”

Photo Sizing Cheat Sheet

Image Size

Cover Photo 851x351 px

Profile Image 160x160 px ( but must upload 180x180)

Apps 111x74 px

Featured Post/Milestone 843x403 px

Uploaded Photos 2048x2048 px

Uploaded Timeline Photo Thumbnail 403x403 px

Video Preview Thumbnail 403x226 px

Learn From Facebook Insights

Pinterest

Is Pinterest old?

- Already 3 years old- Almost 50 million users (some of

them rabid!)- A top 30 site in the US

Unique/unusual/untapped uses

- Secret/private boards- Showcase campaign results- Use instead of website- Use for recruiting- Tell a story

Google+

Is Google+ old?

• Google+ is the baby here – will be 2 in June 2013

• 343 million users (27% considered active)

• 2nd largest social platform behind Facebook

Unique/unusual/untapped uses

- Blogging platform- Live online events via Google+ Hangouts (even monetized, a la Glamour)- Find Hangouts to join or watch (Gphangouts.com)- Use hashtag streams for thought leadership- Bookmarking (simply create a Circle, don’t invite anyone and save links

there)

Virtual Photo Walks

http://www.virtualphotowalks.org/

http://www.virtualphotowalks.org

YouTube

Is YouTube old?

• YouTube is 8 years old• 800 million+ monthly unique

visitors• 2nd largest search engine in

the world• 4 billion hours of video

viewed each month

Unique/unusual/untapped uses

- SEO your videos (text and onscreen)- Create playlists- Interact with others’ content if you don’t have new videos- Research video trends going back to 2008 via Google Trends

Instagram

Is Instagram old?

• Instagram will be 3 in October 2013

• 100 million monthly active users

• 40 million photos per day• 8,500 likes per second• 1,000 comments per second

Unique/unusual/untapped uses

- Influencer outreach- Include some photos with calls to action (drive to website)- Show behind the scenes action (events, manufacturing, etc)- Use followers/customers as models- Print Instagram photos via Snapstagram

Parting thoughts

When to Post- There is no perfect time to post- Test different times of day, night and

weekend- Consider your audience- Jan. 2013 article analyzed interaction by

industry: http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/225419#

Facebook: Schedule updates via Facebook- 1 to 4 p.m. result in the highest average click

throughs- Peak time of the week: Wednesday at 3 p.m.- Less clicks on the weekends- Traffic peaks mid-week, 1 to 3 p.m.;

fades after 7 p.m.

Twitter:Schedule tweets via Hootsuite- Tweets posted early in the week in the

afternoon have highest click throughs (1-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday)

- Less clicks at night and weekends- Peak traffic times are 9 a.m. through 3

p.m., Monday through Thursday

When to Post Guide from Bit.ly

Create a Content Calendar

 

- Can include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, blog, etc.- Looks different based on client (Excel, Word)- Use as a guide; be able to adapt accordingly – may not want to pre-load

- Use Facebook insights and URL shortener analytics to determine which type of content is most appealing

- Think beyond text to killer visuals- Keep character count in mind – less can be more!- Leverage other communication properties – align messaging and themes

with advertising, digital, and so on

Questions?

Let’s connect!@LaraK @FahlgrenMortine