Give People a Reason to Follow Your Social Media While at the Store

Social media icons and signs that say “Like us on Facebook” or “Follow us on Twitter” aren’t nearly as common in brick and mortar stores today as they were a couple of years ago. Many companies who tried to make it work (or are still trying) found that the presence of signs didn’t do much to improve their following.

Today, it can be different. Many people use their mobile devices to stay active on social media, much more than they did a couple of years ago, but even with this the old school follow/like signs still won’t work. They can, but not if you don’t give them a reason. Thankfully, this is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to increase your following. To do it, you have to make it worth their while.

One car dealership I’ve worked with has found strong success by using the concept in their service department. They’ve gone so far as to give three reasons for people to follow them on Facebook (they aren’t as hip on Twitter yet but I’m trying to get them interested). There’s a sign at the pay counter that says, “Get a 5% discount just for liking our Facebook page.”

In the “small print” under the offer, they write, “We post 4 or 5 times a week and we won’t annoy you with bad jokes or links to our blog. Instead, we post Facebook-only service specials and only the best of the best cars for sale from time to time.”

It works like a charm. Their numbers are constantly rising. Then, the take it a step further with the third incentive in even smaller print below the second line. “If you like us already and still want the 5% discount, just post that you’re here and that you ‘like getting my service done at [dealership name] because _______.”

Signage is the least used effective way to get fans, followers, engagement, and endorsements. These are people who are already doing business with you and if they like the way they’re treated, you should encourage them to let their friends know. It doesn’t have to be a discount. It does have to include a reason. I know one non-dealer that has stuffed animals, the small ones you see at the carnival, stacked on the wall with a sign that says, “Get your kid (or yourself) a stuffed elephant or moose by becoming our Facebook fan.”

Be creative. Be fun. Make a promise about how your social media profile brings value to your followers and then deliver on that promise by making your pages and profiles awesome.

People won’t like or follow you without a reason.

Related articles

• Social Media isn’t for Every Dealer but it May be for You


• Six Shared Features of Social Media and Email Marketing


• Empire Avenue is the Most Important Social Media “Game” that You’re Not Playing


• How Major Brands Are Now Leveraging Social Media Influencers


• The Rising Influence of Social Media (Infographic)


• How To Handle A Social Media Break-Up

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/give-people-a-reason-to-follow-your-on-social-media-while-at-the-store/

How to Delete a Retweet – cc @BurgerKing

Burger King’s Twitter account was hacked today. Their profile picture was changed to the McDonald’s logo, their name was changed to “McDonalds”, and their description said that McDonald’s had purchased the hamburger giant due to the failure of the Whopper hamburger.

The company is back in control of their Twitter account now and they’ve deleted the Tweets by those who controlled their account during the hacking, but the retweets remain. I can only assume that they don’t realize that they can remove these or else they would have done so already.

To Burger King (and anyone else who wants to remove a retweet from their feed), there’s no delete button like there is on regular Tweets, but if you click on the “Retweeted” status in the Tweet itself, it will undo the retweet. That’s it.

Good luck, BK, and make sure to use a better password.

Related articles

• Burger King Twitter Account Hacked, Immediately Turned Into Ad for McDonald’s


• Burger King’s Twitter Is Hacked, Rebranded as McDonald’s


• Burger King Twitter account hacked: name, avatar changed to McDonald’s


• McDonald’s claims innocence in Burger King Twitter hacking


• Burger King Twitter account ‘hacked by McDonald’s’


• Burger King’s woes continue after Twitter account gets hacked

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/how-to-delete-a-retweet-cc-burgerking/

Empire Avenue is the Most Important Social Media “Game” that You’re Not Playing

I always get a little blown away any time I meet a social media “guru” or “specialist” who isn’t using Empire Avenue. Granted, I wasn’t impressed the first time I gave it a shot in 2011, but since rejoining the site in May of 2012 I’ve learned that it may be the most invaluable tool in the world of social media promotions.

The problem is that it’s a “game” and as a result, many social media people dismiss it. Who has time for fun and games when there’s Facebook posts to promote or blog posts to write? Once you get passed the gaming aspect of the service, you realize that it’s much deeper and more useful than that.

The community component of the service is strong. Yes, there are influencers like Chris Pirillo and Chris Voss on it, but it’s in the active user base of mid- to high-level social media experts that the real juice comes into play. The connections that are possible for active users (I won’t call them players because the game component of it is just too miniscule and almost a distraction) are of a higher quality than just about any site.

It isn’t just the community, though. There are plenty of places to meet influencers and people who work in social media. The tangible benefit is in the missions. Through missions, users are able to get assistance from high-quality social media users without having to coax or (gulp) buy engagement for clients.

Missions are actions that are paid for through Eaves, the currency on Empire Avenue. They have a wide range of possible uses from “read and comment on my blog post” to “retweet me”. Before you jump at me with an organic social media engagement tirade, keep in mind that the quality of the users fulfilling the missions is the highest possible. Yes, there are spammers on the site, but the bulk of the active users are great people with strong Klout scores and an abundance of active followers. These aren’t bots. The game is too hard for bots, making it a nice way to weed out the spammers.

That’s the key. It isn’t easy. You can’t just sign up for the site and get 30 people with high Klout scores to suddenly retweet you. It takes time. It takes activity. It takes playing the social stock market game component of the service and building up the currency to pay for the missions. This factor alone is enough to keep the spammers at bay.

Get on and get rolling immediately. Ford, Dell, Nokia – they all use the service. There’s an investment of time, but it’s worth it once you get to the point that you can start directing quality social engagements to help fulfill your goals through missions. There are easier methods, of course, but those normally end up giving you a lot of bulk numbers that bring nothing of value. On Empire Avenue, the value is in the people.

Related articles

• Empire Avenue Goes Beyond Social Influence Measurement into the Realm of Influence Building


• 4 Social Media Applications I Will Stop Using In 2013


• Empire Avenue – Measuring Your True Social Influence


• Why Every Major Brand Should Use Empire Avenue – Social Media Rocket Fuel


• Check out (e)DESdaughter Shares on Empire Avenue #EAv where you are rewarded for being Social online


• Do You Have Empire Avenue in Your 2013 Marketing Strategy?

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/empire-avenue-is-the-most-important-social-media-game-that-youre-not-playing/

Define Your Facebook Goals Before Determining a Strategy

About a month ago I was asked when speaking before a group about what I thought the biggest mistake was that businesses were making on Facebook. I replied, “lack of coherent strategy” and went on about how too many business pages seemed like they were posting for the sake of posting, that they didn’t appear to moving in any particular direction, and that they were managing their social media presence on a day to day basis. If I could take back the answer (or better yet, elaborate further), I would.

I was wrong.

The actual biggest mistake that businesses are making starts a step before the strategy phase and would, in most cases, cure the ills that businesses are suffering with their strategy (or lack thereof). It really comes down to goals and the fact that most businesses are not defining their goals from the beginning nor are they adjusting them as their Facebook presence expands. THIS is the actual biggest mistake that they’re making. To those who heard me speak last month about this, I’m sorry to not give the most appropriate answer.

Every Facebook page should have a goal or set of goals that they want to achieve. Many will give the quick answer and say that their goal is to reach as many prospective customers and clients as possible, but this isn’t a real goal. Even in reach, it’s important to establish why you want to reach them and what messages you want them to receive. Are you wanting to reach them with your sales and marketing messages? Are you wanting them to see your logo and expand your branding? Are you wanting them to see that you’re involved in the various local and industry-specific conversations that happen on social media?

Keep in mind – “all of the above” is not a valid answer. That doesn’t mean that you cannot have a robust and diverse presence on Facebook that tackles multiple opportunities, but from a strategy perspective you’re message will get lost if you aren’t reinforcing it regularly. On average, only 16% of your fans are seeing your message at all and that’s if you’re doing a pretty good job at keeping your EdgeRank strong. While diversifying your message is important, keeping focused on a singular strategy should overrule the desire to be eclectic.

Over the next couple of days I will be diving into a wider range of specific strategies that you can employ. In the meantime, do you have any strategies that you’ve considered? Is there a technique that you’ve found to be effective or one that you think would work? I’m classifying the various strategy types into two categories: safe and aggressive. As with setting goals, determining strategies should be focused. Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. You’ll end up spitting it all out on the table and embarrassing yourself.

Related articles

• Organizing the Social Conversation


• A Proper Facebook Strategy Requires Constant Testing and Adjusting


• Taking Advantage of Facebook as a Mobile Marketing Tool


• Talk Human to Me: 20 Tips to Humanize Your Brand


• Measuring the ROI of Social Media


• Social Media Strategy for Small Business 2013: A Totally Honest Look at Social Networks

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/define-your-facebook-goals-before-determining-a-strategy/

I Love this Facebook Like Button

It’s the only Facebook like button that will lick you when you click it.

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/i-love-this-facebook-like-button/

Do Not Trip Out While Traveling. Use Tripit Instead.

Most of us can agree that when traveling for work or when taking a vacation, it is definitely not about the journey and all about the destination. Planning, organizing, and coordinating a trip can make many of us trip out and possibly loose a few hairs, but the website Tripit, has come to our rescue and helps us keep the hairs on our head and our much needed sanity.

Tripit can be used online or as a mobile app that will make your short or long trips away from home a much easier process. They work with more than a thousand sites, from flights, rail, cruise, rental cars, events, restaurants, and hotels, to help make your travels a less stressful experience.

After signing up to Tripit, you will be given several options that will have them create an itinerary that has all of your trip details in one place. You can either choose if you want them to automatically create master itineraries for you or you can manually send your information by simply forwarding confirmation emails you receive to, toplans@tripit.com. You will also be given the choice to have your plans from your Gmail or Google Apps inbox automatically imported to Tripit. No matter which options you choose, all can be accessed anytime, either online or from a mobile device.

Tripit will also sync your itinerary with all of your plans to your calendar so you don’t miss your flight, an important event or special restaurant reservation during your trip. They also make it extremely easy for your travel plans to be sent to your friends, family members, and co-workers, so they too know when you will be away.

Although many of us would pay a lot of money to have peace of mind while traveling, Tripit is completely free. However, they do offer a paid service you can choose to use instead, called Tripit Pro, which offers you even more. For $49 a year (currently offering a free 30 day trial), Tripit Pro will alert you about flight delays, cancellations, or gate changes; it will provide you with alternate flights; organize your frequent flyer information in one place, and advise you when your airfare is eligible for flight refunds, saving you money. – Simply put, it’s more like having a personal assistant with you while you travel.

Whether you choose to go free or go Pro, Tripit will make your work travels or vacation planning a more organized and less stressful ordeal. It’s simple; Tripit takes away the all too often tripping out over traveling and brings back the much needed fun.

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via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/do-not-trip-out-while-traveling-use-tripit-instead/

A Proper Facebook Strategy Requires Constant Testing and Adjusting

Those who have been in internet marketing for a while realize that search engines are constantly changing. It’s part of the game of staying ahead of the competition to understand these changes and move with them appropriately. Despite this constant state, it’s nothing compared to the changes that happen on Facebook. From a business perspective, the only real winning strategy is to constantly be adjusting the practices, processes, and procedures used to find success.

On Facebook, even the goals are often changed. Unlike search where the goal is almost entirely about driving relevant traffic to a website, social media in general and Facebook in particular often see shifts in the goals for each individual strategy and the overarching strategy as a whole. Between traffic, branding, communications, and messaging, the major components of Facebook marketing remain the same on the surface but digging a little deeper reveals a need to shift with not only the changes that are constantly happening on the platform itself but also those that are happening within the community and the sentiment of the social media world.

One of our biggest focuses on Facebook is helping local car dealers make the most of Facebook. Just in the last month we’ve made adjustments to style, form, and techniques that are in response to the changes. This is an absolute must – a static Facebook strategy is not effective. What worked yesterday may not work today but may work again tomorrow. That’s the nature of the beast.

The most important thing to remember on Facebook is that there are two things to constantly monitor: changes in strategies that are posted on the various blogs (be careful here – more below) and changes in the results of the various campaigns that you run. It’s not just about watching likes and comments. It’s about watching reach (the truly important number in Facebook analytics) and following the sentiment through in a way that can guide future posts.

We must test. We must see what’s working today and make sure it’s still working tomorrow. We have to watch for fatigue; it’s easy to post great images of Mustangs on a Ford dealer’s Facebook page but eventually even the mighty stallion can get old and turn off fans.

We also need a willingness to try new things. Events, Offers, Questions – these can be effective depending on what you’re willing to offer for your business. Landing pages, video styles, advertising styles – all of these play important roles as well.

This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive guide nor is it meant to be a scare tactic. Facebook is not hard and it doesn’t have to be that time consuming, either. It does require attention and a system through which the changes and efforts can be tracked for true ROI.

Now, about those blog posts on strategies – take note but be skeptical. Everyone seems to have an opinion about what to do on social media to be successful and these opinions are often contradictory. There are very few overall strategies that have ever made me think, “Wow, that’s the one!” There are plenty of blog posts that make me think, “Hmmm, let’s give that a try and monitor the results.”

That’s the key. Take advice but don’t set anything in stone until you test it thoroughly yourself. Facebook can be fickle, especially when the organic algorithm itself can punish pages for making the wrong moves, but you shouldn’t be too fearful of making a mistake or taking a step backwards. The benefits of a strong campaign or strategy greatly outweigh the potential negatives associated with mistakes, so by fearless but monitor and adjust accordingly. Anything short of regular monitoring and a willingness to change can result in the wrong results.

Related articles

• On Search and Social, If It Ain’t Broken, Fix it Anyway


• Measuring Social Media for Recruitment


• Facebook Advertising: Testing, Segmenting, and Optimizing


• 3 Things You Can Do Today to Improve Your Dealer Website SEO


• Organizing the Social Conversation


• The “Graph” in Facebook Graph? It’s DemoGRAPHics

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/a-proper-facebook-strategy-requires-constant-testing-and-adjusting/

True Content Marketing for B2B Needs Bigger Budgets

This really shouldn’t even be a story. It’s one of those obvious statements that shouldn’t require explanation. If you take the title at face value and make it happen, you’re already a step ahead of most of your competitors.

Thankfully for blogs like this one, a story is required. There is a complete lack of understanding, particularly from the C-Suite, when it comes to content marketing that it’s no wonder why blogs like Soshable continue to thrive. You’re likely reading this because you need ammo. You don’t need to be convinced. You need help convincing upper management that there’s value in the hills of content marketing, than just about any portion of the budget spent on it would be worthwhile, that it’s an endless goldmine that goes completely untapped by most, and that it has an upside as every major player from Google to Facebook continues to adore the practices of true content marketing.

“True” is the important word here, but let’s assume that you already have that component down as well. Let’s assume that you realize that low-quality, irrelevant content that once worked well is quickly becoming detrimental to marketing. Let’s assume that you understand that creativity in entertainment and education are the keys and that quality trumps quantity every time.

You already know that the superstars of content creation are harder to find than an honest politician. You are well aware that the vast majority of the promotional tactics used today are ineffective or heading in that direction and that transparent, aggressive, and intuitive promotions are the only way to get a true bang for the buck. You also know the most important part of content marketing and internet marketing in general – that search, social, email, videos, white papers, and everything in between must be handled with a holistic approach rather than treating everything separately.

You know all of this already because you’re a seasoned internet marketing professional. You just need the bullet points to show the big wigs. Thankfully, Marketo has an answer for you in the wonderful infographic below. Aren’t you glad you found this blog post?

Related articles

• Why B2B Companies Are Betting Big on Content Marketing


• A Content Marketing Secret That Will Win You Business


• Why Content Marketing Beats Out Advertising [INFOGRAPHIC]


• Free Webinar – Content Marketing: Make It work


• Content Marketing Strategy: 3 Steps to Avoid a Guest Blogging Fail


• How Content Marketing Compares to Traditional Advertising [infographic]

via Soshable | Social Media Blog http://soshable.com/true-content-marketing-for-b2b-needs-bigger-budgets/