Anna

I am online specialist. I work with small businesses to devise their online communications - webcopy and social media. I am also a researcher and author writing for diverse audiences and different industries on just about any topic. I regularly write for Dynamic Business (http://www.dynamicbusiness.com.au/). Please visit my website www.annacairo.com to find out more.

How to Get Your Message Heard in Social Media Marketing

 Online Content, Online Media, Small Business, SMEs, Social Media, Social Media ROI, Social Media Tips  No Responses »
Feb 112013
 

With an ever-increasing number of online platforms, businesses now have so many choices when it comes to social media.  This can provide the false impression that so long as businesses engage with the networks, everything will fall into place.  This is not the case and it is important to create a social media existence that is purposeful and strategic.

1. Develop a Strategy

A clear strategy around your reasons for using social media and what you hope to achieve is vital.  The strategy needs to combine other business and marketing goals to be part of the overall marketing and communication strategy.  This way everything is interconnected and social media platforms are linked to the main business website and vice versa.

2. Social Media is a Marathon, not a Sprint

Social media is about building relationships and this takes time.  It requires consistency, engaging with others and learning to listen to what individuals are saying.  Spending time having a two-way conversation will be more productive in the long run than forcing a message in a one-way direction.

3. Make it Different

Obviously the usual things apply when on social media, such as add value, have a clear purpose, complete your profile, show personality and so on, however, to stand out, there needs to be an element which is diverse.  Try the following:

  • Use humour
  • Have a cleverly designed infographic
  • Use vibrant colours, easy to understand language
  • Use bold graphics, images, phrases, or titles

Once you have a concept to promote any number of tools can be utilised to make your message stand out.  It is just a matter of experimenting and seeing what works.  Try one of these and see what happens!

 

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 11 February, 2013 at 11:04 am

How to Create Content for your Social Media Platforms

 SMEs, Social Media, Social Media Content, Social Media Tips  No Responses »
Feb 042013
 

One of things most SMEs struggle with when it comes to social media is creating content for their platforms on a regular basis.

What you share or post on social media is content whether it’s a one line sentence or a link to an article or video.  Social media content should not be randomly posted.  It is important that there is a strategic element that reflects your overall business and marketing goal/s.  The aim is to grab attention to focus on your expertise and skills.  Overall, most networks really only need one quality post every day.

Here are some tips when putting together a content strategy for you social media platforms:

  1. Business goals: determine why you are creating/posting this content.  This makes it part of a bigger overall marketing strategy which means there is a purpose to what you creating.
  2. Don’t forget the ‘social’ element in social media: this is what social media is about after all.  Make it fun and engaging, be creative and even controversial.
  3. Share other people’s content: one thing that most people believe is that every post needs to be original content.  This is important but so is sharing links, infograhpics or articles from other people.
  4. Make customers/clients the content: if you have a great story to tell, seek permission and broadcast the success.  Everyone loves a story and it is a great way to demonstrate who you are and make an impact so that it resonates.
  5. Go beyond text: content doesn’t need to be all text. Try creating a video or podcast or post a link to an infographic.  People love the visual especially online.

Add one of these suggestions to your social media postings and see how you go!  Still struggling with content creation?  Feel free to touch base with me.

 

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 4 February, 2013 at 2:45 pm

Social Media is not a “one fits all” approach

 Online Content, Online Marketing, Online Media, Social Media Tips  No Responses »
Jan 292013
 

Social media is the ‘buzz’ word of online marketing, however most businesses are oblivious to their social media efforts and activities.  Most people are under the impression that social media is a ‘one fits all’ approach when in actual fact nothing could be further from reality.  Having a Facebook page does not equal social engagement.  Those businesses that choose to adopt the ‘one fits all’ approach or treat all applications or platforms the same may damage their online creditability in the long run.  Not all platforms have the same interactions and applying them the same way means not being effective in social media.

What to do then?

Not all social media platforms will suit your business so it is essential to select your social media targeted to your business and its requirements.  The key is to choose the best social media platform for your business regardless of what other similar businesses are implementing.  This way you can make the most out of social media and engage with customers and potential ones.

So the key things to consider when choosing a social media platform include:

  • Who is your intended audience?
  • What do you want out of the communication? Brand awareness, demonstrate your expertise, data collection?
  • How much time are you willing to invest in social media?

Once you have decided the best platform to interact for your business, commit to a long term strategy for the best results.  There is no right or wrong just experimentation.  With some strategic thought you will go a long way to ensuring that you have a positive social media engagement.

 

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 29 January, 2013 at 1:21 pm

Plan your Social Media Strategy for 2013

 Goal Setting, Small Business, SMEs, Social Media Tips  No Responses »
Jan 212013
 

With the year upon us, it is important to have a social media strategy in place for 2013.  Doing so will facilitate more opportunities coming from your social media activities.  If you haven’t put together a social media strategy for your business yet, here are some tips to get you started.

Have Clear Goals

If you have no idea what you want to achieve, then how can it be achieved?  Know what it is that you want to gain from using social media.  Simple goals always work well when starting off. For example, don’t aim for 200 ‘likes’, aim to get ‘likes’ that consist of your target audience even if the number is low.

Have a Content Plan

Develop a content approach that you are able to use for social media activities.  Decide how often to post, when to post and what to post.  If this is planned out, it is much easier to maintain a social media strategy when it becomes busy and chaotic.

Consider your Resources

Know how much available time there is for the social media activities and plan accordingly.  If there is limited capacity, then tailor the goals and content plan to this scenario.

Consistency

If there is one vital step when using social media for business then that is to be consistent.  That means posting on a regular basis.  If you have decided to post every week, then you must post every week. This is what your audience will be expecting and not doing so means your audience will go elsewhere.

When there is strategy there is focus so try these steps and see how you go.

 

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 21 January, 2013 at 1:41 pm

Christmas Break

 Uncategorized  No Responses »
Dec 192012
 

 

We are taking a break over Christmas/New Year commencing Wednesday 19th December. We will be back mid Jan 2013!

Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and safe New Year. See you in 2013!

Best Wishes

 

 

 Posted by on 19 December, 2012 at 3:38 pm

Safeguard your Business from Social Media Risks

 SMEs, Social Media, Social Media Policy, Social Media Risks  No Responses »
Dec 032012
 

Social media provides SMEs with many opportunities to communicate with customers, provide customer support, strengthen relationships and build brand awareness.  These are valuable to any business, however, at the same time, social media also exposes business to risk.  These risks can be loosely classified as follows:

Reputational Risk:

Whether it’s employee bad behaviour or damaging customer service, business needs to ask “how protected are the company’s brand and reputation?”  There are plenty of examples which illustrate negative social media publicity.

Legal Risk:

From accidental disclosure of confidential information to defamation and false and misleading content from third parties, business needs to comply with laws and regulations.

Operational Risk:

It is essential that organisations know how exposed they are to disruptions to its operations which may occur from viruses or malware.  Just as the Internet and email pose risks so too does social media.

Navigating these risks is fundamental to safeguarding business interests and relationships.  These risks are no different to the offline world.  They have now just progressed to social media and business needs to be alert and proactive.

One of the most effective ways to manage these risks is a Social Media Policy which is implemented together with employee training and education, which is ongoing.  A policy must be tailored to each business to cater for diverse values, beliefs and different industries.

As well as minimising exposure to risk, a Social Media Policy also provides the opportunity to deliver guidelines to engage in social media.  It can empower team members to responsibly use social media to obtain the organisation’s strategic goals and can be a positive engagement tool.

It is important that all SMEs are proactive and protect their business interests.

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 

 

 Posted by on 3 December, 2012 at 9:51 am

Social Media ROI

 Online Marketing, SMEs, Social Media, Social Media in the Workplace, Social Media ROI, Social Media Tips  No Responses »
Nov 212012
 

As more organisations use social media they invest more time and money.  This may point to the fact that business will want to ensure there is some return on investment on their commitment of time and money.  To date, there is no clear formula that can be used to measure ROI.  And although social media ROI may be challenging it is not impossible.  Here are some tips:

Determine Costs:

At a very basic level, you can assess the costs of your social media strategy by determining how many hours are spent on social media activities and then multiplying these hours with the appropriate hourly dollar value of the person who is active on social media.

Soft Metrics:

Likes, comments, shares or followers are known as ‘soft metrics’ in social media.  They are easy to measure but they are not entirely accurate.  However, they shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand.  They can provide an general brand awareness evaluation that is difficult to quantify but has an effect on the social media platform.

Benchmarking:

Establish your goal/s with a starting point of data.  This can then be used to measure the effectiveness of the goals over a period of time.  Future data can be measured against this original data to measure the value of what has been achieved.

Know the Purpose of your Social Media Platform:

When you know what your social media platform is being used for, then you will have some idea of whether your purpose is being met.  For example, if you want to use the platform to provide customer service each problem solved is a tick in the ROI.  What do these ‘ticks’ mean.  Well what is the financial value of successfully solving a customer problem?

 None of these approaches are complete but are a starting point to use as business adapts to social media usage.

 

What do people think?

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 

 Posted by on 21 November, 2012 at 11:57 am

Which Social Media Platform is Best for Your Business?

 Online Marketing, Online Media, Social Media, Social Media Tips, Social Network Sites  No Responses »
Oct 082012
 

Social media is literally everywhere these days.  Lots of businesses are using it to connect, market and communicate.  As a tool, social media has the potential to reach potential customers and to let everyone know about your business.  Investing time and money is crucial and choosing the ‘right’ platform is even more important.  However, with so many social media sites which is the best platform to use for your business?

Firstly, business doesn’t need to have multiple platform interaction.  Starting off with only one or two platforms is a better strategy than investing time and money in five.  Once you have achieved success with one, you can add more but only if it will provide value to the business.

Secondly, determine what you want to achieve.  What are your desired outcomes?  Consider the variety of advantages and disadvantages of each social media platform and weigh these up against your goals, costs and likely results.

Thirdly, social media needs to be part of an overall marketing and communication strategy.  Social media shouldn’t be the only tool to use.  Use it as part of a larger communication tool kit.  Too often businesses rush in without thinking about the long-term approach because everyone else is using it.  This will not bring success, only frustration.

These three points are crucial to determining what social media platform to utilise.  Spend time at the beginning to consider what goals social media will achieve for your business.  Have a well thought out approach and then commit for the long term.

Bear in mind the three following key words: consider, plan and commit.  This will likely bring the achievement you are looking for and keep you flexible enough in a dynamic environment.

Give it a try and see what happens!

 

What has worked for others?

 

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 8 October, 2012 at 11:17 am

Should Social Media be Allowed in the Workplace

 SMEs, Social Media, Social Media in the Workplace  No Responses »
Oct 012012
 

Social media is blurring the lines between personal and professional and is saturating our lives in many ways.  Statistics show that social media is growing fast.

Although there are risks with social media there are also positives.  Some employers are quick to ban it in the workplace as a means of trying to control these potential risks.  However, this doesn’t look at the bigger picture, and the fact that employers can’t social media.

As social media becomes a bigger part of the fabric of daily life, it needs to be managed not banned.  Employers need to be proactive and educate their employees around social media usage and expectations.  The benefits can be enormous and include:

o        Gain intelligence to benefit your business

o        Use it for networking and exploring

o        Build brand awareness

o        Collaboratively problem solve

o        Employees can sell the company message

Banning social media in the workplace is ineffective and basically futile as anyone who has access to an iPhone has access whenever they choose.  It is a reactive approach to a very modern issue.  Education is the key as is working collaboratively and positively.

 

What do people think?

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 1 October, 2012 at 10:42 am

Social Media Connections – are they the Right Ones?

 Social Media, Social Media Tips, Social Network Sites, Uncategorized  No Responses »
Sep 242012
 

A few weeks ago I wrote online in Dynamic Business about whether the social media connections you have are the right ones.  It posed the question whether individuals actually think about the connections they are adding to their social media networks.

As social media continues to immerse our lives both – personal and professional – it is important to think about the ‘likes’ or ‘followers’ or ‘connections’ you have.

So how can you get the most out of your connections?

The first place to start is by auditing your connections.  Have a look at those in your networks and see what benefit they are bringing.  Further, if you would like to connect with someone outside of your network ask for an introduction from your closet connection.

Here are some other tips:

Don’t Accept All Invites: establish whether the person who wants to connect with you has any association with your industry.  Think before you click ‘accept’!

Go Slow: Take your time in growing your connections. It is not actually all about quantity.  It is the quality of connections that is more important.

Inform, don’t sell: If you establish yourself as an information source, you place yourself in a better position to sell yourself the long run.

Shift your thinking to the modern two-way communication style of ‘conversation’.  Encourage an emotional and personal connection with those in your networks so that people can get to see who you are.  This is more essential than the quantity of connections.

What do people think? What has worked for others?

Thanks for reading!

Feel free to ‘tweet’ or ‘repost’ this article or leave your comments….

 Posted by on 24 September, 2012 at 11:40 am
 Older Entries  Newer Entries