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A Guide for Facebook Etiquette: The Awkward Unfriending

10/17/2012 by

Do you remember the good old days? Do you remember the friendships you had before the juggernaut of social media? Come on, it wasn’t that long go, a different decade, sure, but the same millennium. Facebook only launched in February, 2004. Pre-Facebook, if a friend annoyed you with their endless chatter, gossip and updates (Oh my… God, can you believe Jane and Tom are dating?) you simply didn’t pick up the phone when they called.

No biggie, right? However, if so-and-so stole your teal with chrome custom Kitchen-Aid, that was something else; if you found out they stole your super-secret lemon-bar recipe and shared it with everyone on Saturday night when you weren’t there, well, you unfriended them for life. Dignity, grace and etiquette were out the window. You ignored them, talked trash about them and banished them from your circle of friends.

Things are different now.

Champagne to All My Real Friends, Real Pain to all My Sham Friends

With so much friending, liking and posting, chances are your Facebook portfolio has swollen to epic proportions. The friends are not really friends, but more like self-perpetuating weeds; Eventually, you’ll need to do some gardening. In the end, you never know who is going to turn out to be a hacker. While Facebook has privacy guidelines and safeguards, a lot of your personal information is still accessible. When you visit Lifelock on Facebook, you can learn more about identify theft and how it applies to your social-media account.

With This Many Facebook Friends, Someone is Bound to get Hurt

In the Facebook universe, being unfriended is like being slapped across the face, Victorian style, with a pair of gloves. Honestly, it might sting a bit if you’re the one being unfriended, aka slapped, but the person doing it isn’t even getting their hands dirty. They’re clicking a button on a computer. If you have 2.1 million friends on Facebook, is unfriending someone or being unfriended really the end of the world? With this many friends, someone is bound to get cyber-slapped once in a while.

Restrictions and Hiding Friends

While your Facebook sham friends are easy to erase, what about those peripheral people in your life? What do you do about your boss, who’s not really a friend, or that nice woman who cuts your hair but also wants to be BFFs?

There are a couple of options:

A.) You can friend these people, then hide their posts from your news feed.

B.) You can hide your post from these friends by putting them on a restricted list, in which they will only see your public info.

Choice B is better. These people are part of your public sector (not your private), so access to public information seems fair. Of course, there’s a third choice, and that’s to consider what you would do if you were still living in a world before social media. Chances are you’re not going to friend a boss who just denied you a raise.

Finally, if you’re feeling guilty about unfriending someone you have been close to for 20 years, just remember they stole your Kitchen-Aid and probably still have it.

Pete Phelps Pete writes about the entertainment scene on the West Coast. As an LA native, he’s equally frustrated with and thrilled by the growth he sees in LA.

Filed Under: Contributors, Facebook, Featured, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Social Media: A Double-Edged Sword

10/08/2012 by
Social Media Miscommunication

Are you being misunderstood on social media?

Social media can be a great way to update your circle of friends on the latest family news, accomplishments, or general goings-on in your life. It’s a great way to reach out in a mass cluster, informing those you might not otherwise pick up the phone to call about every life event.

However, as much as social media has its advantages and conveniences, it also has its downside. When you start posting your opinions and viewpoints, the anonymity of your behind-the-screen typing can cause you to be more loose-lipped than you would when talking to a friend in person. You might inadvertently wind up saying too much, saying the wrong thing, or saying something you’ll later regret.

Imagine this scenario: one morning, while sipping a latte at a local cafe, you pick up a coffee-table magazine and come across an ad with a slogan that captures your perspective on animal rights. It reads: Pet stores don’t find homes, they find customers. You aren’t a fan of pet stores that sell animals, so you post the message on Facebook, sharing with everyone on your Friends list. Naturally, you think everyone will appreciate the comment as much as you do.

Unfortunately, with a few hundred Friends on your FB list, it slips your mind that one of your good friends and supporters, who happens to own several pet stores, is among your followers. Your friend is not in the pet business to exploit animals for money. She’s an avid animal lover, and does her best to protect the welfare of pets. Your comment has insulted, offended, and hurt her in a very personal way. Even if she doesn’t “de-friend” you on Facebook, you’ve lost her support and you’ve wounded the relationship, perhaps beyond repair. And you, the poster, may not have meant any harm, but harm was certainly done.

If you’d been at the coffeehouse with several friends, including the pet-shop proprietor, you surely would have been conscientious enough not to make any remarks similar to what you posted. Although your opinion about selling animals at pet stores remained the same, you wouldn’t have disrespected your friend’s career choice.

It’s all too commonplace to over-share or under-filter your comments on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter. You often make posts on the fly or even on a whim. But don’t forget, those offhanded remarks that you may instantly forget about, are out there being read and evaluated, and could even be damaging friendships, tarnishing your reputation, or destroying your career.

When you tweet or post, be careful of every word shared, and be mindful of the message you are actually sending. Here are five things to keep in mind:

  1. Pass on the Politics Think twice before you make statements of a political nature in a social media forum. Even if you’re certain most of your followers are of a like-mind when it comes to politics, you’re almost certainly wrong. While you may consider yourself to be open-minded and lighthearted when it comes to government issues, you may have friends that are more convicted and invested in particular candidates or hot-button topics. Remember the old saying that “politics make strange bedfellows,” and reserve discussions of your political persuasions to those you can, and would, personally confide in.
  2. Comment with Caution Although it may take some of the fun out of the process of social media sharing, consider every comment you make carefully before you release it into cyberspace. Think of what you’re saying from every angle, ensuring that you’re not putting yourself in a potentially awkward situation. Think of the example where the poster offended her friend because she posted what she thought to be a cute and widely-held belief about pet stores. Sometimes, our jokes or our “harmless” posts do more harm than good.
  3. Socialize Selectively Don’t accept every friend request or invite everyone you know to be social media buddies. There’s no point in trying to rack up the number of friends or followers you have as if it’s a popularity contest of sorts. Limit your social-media circle to those you want to share with. Keep your circle selective and close. Think twice about opening that circle to recent acquaintances, potential love interests, or friends of friends that you don’t really know all that well. Do you really want someone you just started dating to have access to your private pictures, thoughts, and friendships?
  4. Don’t Mix Business with Pleasure Keep your social media worlds separate. Facebook and Twitter are great places to share with your friends, but perhaps your boss wouldn’t appreciate the pictures of you from last weekend’s party. Open a Linkedin account for business posts and career commenting. But don’t be tempted to “friend” your colleagues, even if you consider them friends in some respects. You never know how things from your personal, private life might be construed or held against you in the workplace. It’s wise to compartmentalize and separate the business and personal sides of your life. And it may just help you keep your job!
  5. Reign in Your Ego Although friends and followers sometimes comment or tweet in reference to your posts, social media is often a one-way street. You write your thoughts, ideas, and updates, hit send, and that’s that. You can, and perhaps do, say whatever you want. You’re the master of your own domain. Social media is your own personal soapbox, and you’re free to get up on it whenever you want. And you don’t even have to witness the reactions from the crowd. You’re safely tucked away behind your computer, tablet, or smart phone. But you need to realize that not everyone appreciates everything your say. You are not the end all, be all of opinions. Of course, we all like to think of ourselves as having the right and most logical perspectives. But then again, so does everyone else. Be careful not to espouse your ideals as if they apply to everyone out there.

Social media is like the proverbial double-edged sword. It can be a fun, beneficial, and convenient way to communicate with friends and family. But, you need to be careful with a sword in your hand. You need to handle it in such a way that no one gets hurt. Watch where you swing the blade of your words, and don’t point sharp comments into the face of a mixed crowd. And remember, it’s been said that the pen is mightier than the sword. Your words are powerful, poignant, and have effect on those who absorb them. When using social media, be mindful of that power, and protect yourself by respecting the meaning behind every message you relay.

Sheri Staak has served in many Vice Presidential roles at both large privately held and publicly traded global companies. She’s a corporate powerhouse and has been the recipient of numerous sales awards and recognitions. In addition to her key position in a highly aggressive, extremely competitive industry, Sheri is a regular contributor to a travel newsletter, lending her expertise by writing articles that provide tips and advice for business travelers. She also shares her wisdom and business perspectives with regular postings at her leadership-focused blog, The Staak Report.

Filed Under: Contributors, Featured, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Deal with a Social Media Mutiny

09/21/2012 by

It all seemed like such a good idea at the time. We’ll open a Twitter account, get a load of customers to follow us, they’ll love our brand and shop with us even more than before as a result. Beautiful in its simplicity right? Not when your Twitter stream fills up with comments such as this…

For online businesses, what started out as a way of building brand loyalty and boosting sales can quickly turn into a sounding board for the disgruntled customer.

If you’re in charge of your company’s social media account, how do you deal with the fallout from unhappy customers venting their frustrations all over your Twitter page?

Get Them Offline

While it may be tempting to make a public display of how you are dealing with your customers’ complaints, it can quickly deteriorate into an online slanging match. Leave the “he did this”, “she did that” for emails and phone calls as this isn’t something that you need your other customers to see.

Go back to the complainant with the details of your customer service department and make sure they are dealt with promptly and effectively. If someone has hit Twitter to complain about you once before, you know they will go back again if they aren’t happy with the way you have dealt with their complaint.

Answer Everyone

Managing a social media account has now become a full time job for many large companies. Customers are hitting social networks 24/7, and you need to be on-hand to answer every complaint that comes in.

Everyone who complains to you on Twitter will expect you to come back to them, just as they would if they had written or emailed, so don’t treat unhappy customers any differently just because of where they made their complaint.

Make your reply personal to them, don’t just copy and paste a standard “complaint” reply, and direct them to somewhere that is not your Twitter feed that will rectify their problem.

Retweet & Reply to the Positive Comments

Managing a company’s Twitter account may sometimes feel like putting out a million different fires all at once, but like us here at business gifts it is important not to forget the positive comments too.

If people visit your Twitter page and it is solely a stream full of unhappy customers, this is going to have serious repercussions for your company’s reputation. Make sure you reply to everyone that leaves a positive comment and encourage them to leave you a testimonial too.

Also, retweet the positive comments you get so that they show up in your feed and are visible to anyone who visits your Twitter page.

Using Twitter can be a great way to communicate with your customers and develop a feeling of brand loyalty, but it is also a magnet for the disgruntled customer.

If you are just starting out on your business Twitter journey, make sure you consider how you are going to deal with negative comments before you go online, and have your customer service procedures in place so that you can handle complaints in a professional and effective manner.

Daniel Vince is Sales Manager at The Corporate Gifts Company which is a leading
supplier of promotional items, which offer amazing high quality from silver plated
luxury corporate gifts.


		

		
Filed Under: Contributors, Featured  Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

	

		


				
Social Media Conferences: Coming Together to Enhance Communication
 
		
		
07/26/2012  by   
		

			
Social media is all about communication across a distance. This Internet-aided communication makes it easy for individuals to reach out, keep up on current events and acquire insight into the thoughts and ideas of others. While communication—thanks at least in part to social media—no longer requires coming together physically, many real-world conferences specifically pertaining to this topic are popping up around the country.


Such conferences—many of which are located in Chicago—allow social media users to come together face to face, perhaps enhancing the connections they’ve cultivated online and offering an opportunity for those who value social media to learn more about it and provide input on how it will continue to evolve into the future.


Face-to-Face Interaction


While some contend that the point of social media is to eliminate the need for face-to-face communication, others would argue that social media is in fact only another layer in the modern, multi-faceted system of interaction of which we are all a part. These advocates of communication across multiple channels would argue that connecting via social media alone isn’t sufficient to develop complex relationships and solve problems or reach a consensus for change. By coming together at physical locations, these lovers of—or capitalizers on—social media can add complexity to their interactions, enhance their understanding of the opportunities that social media affords and have a more lasting impact on the development of these channels.


What’s There to Learn


Using social media is generally intuitive, as designers of these online communication platforms aim to make it easy for users to teach themselves to use these tools. Knowing how to take advantages of all the opportunities that social media affords isn’t as simple, however. Through conferences like the Saint Xavier University Conference in Chicago, social media users can receive training in how to effectively utilize all the tools of social media as a communication and advertisement platform.


Such information could prove particularly useful to business leaders trying to use social media as a way to promote their products or services. Any time individuals of like interests converge in one place, the opportunity for networking also presents itself. At the SXU conference, as with other social media conferences, those with social media skills can network with those looking to use social media more effectively, exchanging ideas and potentially trading services.


Location, Location, Location


The Midwest provides an ideal location for conferences on social media; the centralized location makes it convenient for the maximum number of attendees. Unlike a conference on one of the coasts, which would be difficult for those from the opposite side of the country to attend, this Midwest locale isn’t as out-of-the-way for attendees.


As an additional bonus, Chicago offers much for visitors to see, ensuring that, even if the conference doesn’t meet their expectations, they aren’t sorely disappointed by their trip. From the Navy Pierto the Chicago Cultural center, there’s som


Social Media Conference at Harvard


ething to suit anyone’s fancy in this metropolis. With numerous well-appointed Chicago hotels, visitors will spend their time in the city in comfort and relaxation.


Since its eruption on the communication scene, social media has only continued to grow as a Web presence. Because of the pervasiveness of this communication medium, individuals in business—or just those with a refined desire to use and understand this sometimes-complex communication form—are remiss not to take advantage of the learning opportunities, including social media conferences, available to them.


 

		

		
Filed Under: Social Media, Strategy & Business  Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,  

	

		


				
Mobile Sense and the Twenty Times Rule
 
		
		
06/07/2012  by   
		

			
In order for mobile device users to remember a product, they must be exposed to the marketing repeatedly, regularly and at least 20 times before they remember it. Though it’s more of a challenge than the consumer would think, it can also be easier than a marketer may perceive it to be, especially using mobile marketing.


Integration is the method used to expose mobile device users to a product enough times for them to remember the product. If a marketing tool is only placed in a single location, odds are not high that potential consumers will have enough exposure to remember the product.


A mobile device user typically uses more than 10 programs. These include operating systems apps, add-ons, social networking and games, and the Internet. Integration is the process of placing a marketing tool in a variety of locations so potential consumers come across it over and over.


With over 4.8 billion mobile device users, (only 4.2 billion people worldwide own a toothbrush) mobile device marketing is booming and showing no signs of slowing down. An important fact to remember is that most mobile devices users are within arms reach of their device 24 hours a day.


So, the driving question is, “how does a company expose their product to the maximum number of potential consumers at least 20 times?”


First, a company must know the mobile device marketing options. Then, the company must know what these fast-moving potential consumers spend the majority of their time doing on their device. For example, advertising on a genealogy site to a market niche that is 50 or older makes sense. Advertising for teenagers (typically more interested in music and movies) on the same site does not. Mobile marketing companies have found that combining marketing channels is a more valuable product for consumers because an integrated strategy is the only way to run a successful mobile campaign.


Rather than put the cart before the horse however, a company first needs to know its options.


Mobile Marketing Options


SMS, MMS, IM, and MoBlog


    

  • Text messaging, multimedia message service, instant messaging and mobile and blogging services are some of the fastest and most cost effective means of communicating on a mobile device and have potential for mobile device marketing.
    • 



Mobile Operating Systems and Applications


    

  • The OS of each mobile device and the applications associated with it can be used to promote a product if used correctly in a mobile device marketing strategy.
    • 



Social Network and Gaming


    

  • Social networking and gaming provide a large conduit through with a company can reach potential clients. From overt ads to discrete, unobtrusive marketing strategies that do not interfere with the user’s objective, social networking and gaming marketing is almost limitless.
    • 



Internet and Search Engines


    

  • Marketing directly through a website or using search engine keywords, AdWords and analytics to expose potential clients to a product may be the best promising mobile marketing strategy to date.
    • 



Integration


The notion that the more diverse your marketing strategy and the more marketing avenues you utilize, the greater the odds that the target audience meets the company is the key to mobile device marketing. Just like individuals, a company shouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket. Integrate.


 

		

		
Filed Under: Blogging, Blogging Icons, Contributors, Featured  Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,  

	

		


				
The Future is Now, but For How Long?
 
		
		
03/08/2012  by   
		

			
Years ago I sat in a library computer lab at my university and thought, “Wow, the MySpace era is over, upended and replaced by Facebook, but how long will the victor stay on top? If MySpace could fall, surely Facebook will as well. What will Facebook do in the future to lose users in the same way?” Of course, Facebook has done very well for itself since and successfully defeated social media challengers or integrated them into its sweeping empire. That does not change the fact that technology is cyclical and someday Facebook will give rise to a new brand that will occupy that space.


 


This is especially important to marketers who specialize in social media and technology trends. Facebook built its empire on the sale of information and created a sharing platform irresistible to the masses. That model has changed the DNA of our interaction with the Internet and will likely continue on into the future.


Twitter is growing into a mature platform for short-form discourse and advertising. Pinterest is currently being mined for its marketing potential. Sites with a heavy social leaning are cropping up all over the place and nearly all of them present an avenue for marketing products, but marketers have to ask how long social media will continue to be a trend.


You can register your business on as many social media websites as you see fit, and you may find a way to sell products and generate traffic through one of them that is revolutionary. However, in addition to experiments in cutting edge social media, web marketers must keep in mind the foundations of the business that will always exist with the web. As marketers explore the final frontier of marketing on the web, it’s important that they maintain a foundation of solid tactics that will more than likely continue on into the future.


No matter how easily you are able to join a social media site, they remain inherently complicated as far as meeting business goals. Since they were designed as social networks that eventually incorporated a business aspect, they don’t always lend themselves to infiltration by brands.


Longevity


Social media groups are inherently driven by popularity, yet the most successful products experience the fastest rate of growth when they are still new and undiscovered by the masses. While it’s understandable to want a presence on the new, cool site the unfortunate rules of middle school still apply: by the time everyone has it, it is no longer exclusive and desirable. Social media marketing isn’t going anywhere next year, or the year after that. But someday there will be something new, and when that day comes we will have to fall back on a foundation of strategy that is typified by plain old good content.


All this to say that it is very important to stay abreast of new technologies when developing new ways to create brand identity on the Internet. It is equally important to maintain best practices for the innovations that got us to this point and continue to propel us toward the marketing future. Maintaining a solid newsletter, engaging the customer, and some campaign management software will go a long way when the frills of social networks begin to fall away and its successor rises from the ashes.


So yes, get on the social networks that make sense for your brand, but also remember the basics that got us to this point, because sooner or later we may have to rely on them again.


 

		

		
Filed Under: Guest Bloggers, Social Media, Strategy & Business, Success  Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

	

		


				
Facebook Timeline is Everywhere and People are Mad!
 
		
		
01/30/2012  by   
		

			
The Facebook timeline has been rolling out since November to the general public. Until recently people have been given the option of it they want to upgrade their profile.  If they did upgrade and didn’t like it, they could return it to the old style within 7 days.  Facebook has announced that there will be no more of these shenanigans and that everyone will be upgraded automatically to the new timeline profile.


Like most updates this has Facebook users up in arms. Many people don’t like the new timeline. They find it confusing and difficult to find things. They like the original layout which just lists activity. In response many people are saying they will leave Facebook for Google+ or just turn off social networks all together.


Lets be real. Maybe a couple people will actually leave Facebook, but most people will not. Facebook knows that they can make these changes, completely ignore feedback, and people will continue to use the network. It has become too ingrained in our online and social culture. Where Facebook will make changes is when it starts to hit their bottom line, ie. affecting businesses.


Of course many of the changes they have made over the past year have greatly affected business on Facebook for the negative but individually they were so small that we couldn’t make a fuss over it. One change that did raise everyone heckles was when FB was deciding what posts should appear on your pages timeline. It resulted in a huge outcry from the business community and prevented the change from ever making it out of the trial phase.


So despite the new roll out, people will yell and complain. You will likely see posts in all caps complaining about how horrible it all it.  You will likely hear that you can revert back to the old style (which you can’t), there will be scams that supposedly let you revert your profile (don’t click those links), or apps created claiming the same thing (they are bogus). Like it or don’t like it, the timeline is here to stay.


 

		

		
Filed Under: Featured  Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

	

		


				
Video Blog when I look like THIS??
 
		
		
12/02/2011  by   
		

			
To video blog or not to video blog?


That is a big question a lot of bloggers face. But sometimes your face might be the issue on why you are staying behind the camera and in front of the keyboard. In this vlog I discuss, and demonstrate, why our own appearance might be influencing our choice in blog format.



		

		
Filed Under: Blogging, Vlog  Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,  

	

		


				
Black Friday Gets Social: 3 Way to Use Social Media for Black Friday
 
		
		
11/21/2011  by   
		

			
Social Media using black friday shopping bag
People are ready to shop and talk about it. Are you ready to harness the chatter?


Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year. The internet follows it with Cyber Saturday to try to capture an online version of this phenomenon.  But lets face it, if you are a Black Friday shopper you are out, or online, on Friday trying to catch some of the biggest deals you can.


Already stores are pumping their Black Friday PR via TV, radio, billboards, magazines, websites and of course social media.  So how can you capture some of the Black Friday frenzy for you business?


Facebook


    

  1. Custom Landing Page
    
    Create a custom landing page that shows some great graphics and text to feature your Black Friday special. This is a lot easier than it sounds.  You can use easy to use landing page design programs, like Lujure to do a simple drag and drop to create your page.  You can also add trackable links using Google Analytics, which you can automatically add to the page, or by using link shortners like Bit.ly to track clicks back to your site.Here are what some other major retailers are doing with their landing pages to help give you some ideas.
    2. 

  2. Promote on Facebook
    
    If you did create a custom landing page then promote your sale by using the link to the tab. That way you can direct people to your new beautiful page to promote you sale. You can also link back to your website or anything else that will give information about your upcoming event.
    3. 

  3. Facebook Ad
    
Thought Facebook ads have a low click through rate they are incredibly easy to target and for even specific promotions they are perfect. If you have a physical location you can easily geo-target your ads, making sure the ads will only appear to people in your geographic location. If you are solely online, you can also target via age, gender, education and interest. Again, if you have a custom landing page, make sure that new people will automatically go there by setting it as your default place to land for new users (you can do that by going into edit info on your page, manage permissions, and then chose where you want new users to land).
    4. 



Twitter


    

  1. Marketing Tweets
    
Set up tweets that talk about your sale. Make sure to use hashtags to target your specific niche.
    2. 

  2. Twitter Promo
    
Even if you already have a sale event going on, you can still add a little extra to help your Twitter peeps.  The tweeps love to know they are special. Give them their own promo code to use to get an extra bonus when they shop with you.
    3. 

  3. Retweet Promo
    
Retweets are a great tool in viral marketing. You can ask people to tweet your link out and let them know that they will receive a special discount by tweeting the link. There are a couple ways you can do that. You can either specifically ask for retweets and then DM anyone who RTs you a promo code or you can create a special trackable link to your website that will give people a special discount. The second way is easier and will need less involvement from you. Plus it is more conducive to the viral marketing process. People can promote your link, go to the page and get the promo. Plus by using a trackable link, or a specially designed page for your “twitter promo” you can track exactly how many people came to the page and get a gauge for your promo ROI.
    4. 

  4. DMs
    
We all hate those auto DMs that welcome people to their twitter.  But DMs can be useful.  If you are doing a big sale you can send DMs to your followers and let them know about the sale. If there is a a promo code, give them that as a special “twitter” gift.  Though many people ignore DMs that are obviously ads, if you write it in a personable fashion you are likely to get a few bites.
    5. 



Foursquare


    

  1. Create a Special
    
Create a special for your business.  Anyone who checks into Foursquare on Black Friday or Thanksgiving weekend will receive a special discount. This will encourage people to check in and they will likely tell other people about your special.  Plus if they are in the area they can browse Foursquare by specials in the area and find you business.
    2. 

  2. Tips
    
Create a tip for your store. You could let people know about a hidden sale rack or an item on the menu that is particularly tasty. If there is something special that your business does just on this one day, leave a tip and let people know.  Maybe you are doing a flash mob, you could leave a tip saying “rumor has it a flash mob will happen at 12:30″.
    3. 



The boon of a social network is that it is social.  With every post you make you have the opportunity to be shared and talked about. What you really need to do is make sure you are giving them something to talk about.

		

		
Filed Under: Social Media  Tagged With: , , , , , ,  

	

		


				
Top 3 Online Tools You Need to Track Your Social Media Growth
 
		
		
06/21/2011  by   
		

			
Tracking your Social Media
Do you know how to track your social media?


Social media is becoming increasingly important as a way for businesses to connect with buyers, prospects, and the market. As social media grows, it will become critical for businesses to brand themselves and build relationships as part of the sales and marketing process. Social media marketing can be a great way for brands to start conversations with their users, but it can also be a time suck. It’s very important for businesses to understand what it is that they want to track and how social media fits into their overall business strategy.


Facebook Insight


Facebook Insights is an excellent free analytics tool built right into Facebook that allows you to track trends among your fans and see how they are interacting with your page. Insights is split into two main sections: users and interactions.


Users give you lots of basic demographic information about your fans, as well as show top referrers to your page.


Interactions can be a real goldmine, offering deep analytics into the updates you’ve made to your page and how users have interacted with it.


You can see which content has been most popular and which tanked, which helps understand what fans like to see on your page. Site owners with Like buttons on their sites can use Insights to see how many people saw the button, clicked on it, and how they got to the page.


Social Mention


Social Mention is a real-time search engine for social media. It’s a great tool for tracking buzz about your firm, product, or launch through Twitter, Facebook, forums, blogs, and other social media sites. A widget shows statistics over time like number of retweets, unique authors, as well as twists like the relative passion of the sentiment about your brand. Social media stats are broken down by content type, so you can see where the most attention is coming from. You can also sign up for emails to alert you whenever a keyword comes up in social content.


Bit.ly


Not only is bit.ly the world’s most popular url shortening tool, it is also an excellent way to use analytics to track link clicks and user behavior. This kind of information would usually not be available if the link were to a social site or to one on which you didn’t have access to the analytics software. However, creating a bit.ly account gives you access to its full-fledged analytics suite, showing top referrers, historical data, and more. You can use their shortening service without having an account, but then you’d be missing out on all that analytical goodness.


 


Social media tracking is important. This list is only to get you thinking about how your business uses social media and how you can begin to track all those tweets and blog mentions. It’s important to analyze the data once you’ve gotten it. If social media isn’t directly helping your bottom line, it may be time to re-think your strategy. Above all, use your analytics to better engage and interact with your audience.




Ashyia Hill is a social media advocate at the small business credit cards comparison website, CreditDonkey.  Do you have any social media analytics tools that have helped you grow your business? Let us know in the comments!

		

		
Filed Under: Guest Bloggers, SM3  Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  

	

	
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