Afraid to start with social media? After reading this article you won't be anymore.
This article does not discuss how to create pages and profiles because help tools are available online and it is rather self explanatory. It will give you an idea what you can post where and give a few things you can keep in mind when starting on social media. It is meant to lower the threshold and help to get you started.
Why would you be on social media?
Due to globalization we see and learn more about what is happening around the globe. Travel programs show us destinations and ways of living we never saw before and they are reachable because of cheap travel options. For some people this created the need to keep in contact with people all around the globe we meet in our travels. As I am writing this article I am a Dutch woman, living in Switzerland, working in English on an international project. The technique is just fulfilling the need to stay in touch with people, cultures and companies all over the world.
We like to have the possibility to get in touch easily and quickly and Facebook, Twitter, Skype and for example 'Whats app' are ways to do so. That is how social media created possibilities for 'private' people. Companies can use social media as well.
Due to globalization we see and learn more about what is happening around the globe. Travel programs show us destinations and ways of living we never saw before and they are reachable because of cheap travel options. For some people this created the need to keep in contact with people all around the globe we meet in our travels. As I am writing this article I am a Dutch woman, living in Switzerland, working in English on an international project. The technique is just fulfilling the need to stay in touch with people, cultures and companies all over the world.
We like to have the possibility to get in touch easily and quickly and Facebook, Twitter, Skype and for example 'Whats app' are ways to do so. That is how social media created possibilities for 'private' people. Companies can use social media as well.
If people search for something or want to know about a company they tend to google (or another search machine) and see what they find. You might say: But I have a website, they will find that. Might be true but Twitter and Facebook are ranked very high in search machines and they have functions your website does not. Both of them can serve as a way for you to get information about your customers (their opinions on what they like or not) and to share your expertise. Both Twitter and Facebook are a source for getting and sharing information. It also gives an opportunity to your customers to ask you a question or give feedback. User generate the content that is online and you can listen and share. By having accounts on Twitter and Facebook you can do so. Of course those media are also very suitable to present your company. If consumers want to know what a company is about, what kind of image it has, they check the Facebook and Twitter pages and they can see on the sort of reactions, 'likes' and retweets what the company is about. This is usually of more value for them then a mission statement on a company webpage because they know that is carefully composed. The reactions of others and way of interacting on social media pages tend to give a more 'real-life' view.
Why would you need a strategy?
To organize what you can do with social media professionally, a strategy can be hepful. Because the online word is so fast, it is tempting to quickly create a Facebook page or Twitter account without thinking about it in advance. First of all: it is good that you are going to use social media. But you are missing opportunities if you start without a strategy. A strategy will give you direction, ensure an consistent image and make sure you are not a social media one day fly. With a strategy it is easier to make social media work for you because you can do it right at once. If you start without thinking about what you want to post you might have to learn what works and not in a hard way: if you are not interesting people will not follow you (or worse, unfollow you). Those people might not come back.
To organize what you can do with social media professionally, a strategy can be hepful. Because the online word is so fast, it is tempting to quickly create a Facebook page or Twitter account without thinking about it in advance. First of all: it is good that you are going to use social media. But you are missing opportunities if you start without a strategy. A strategy will give you direction, ensure an consistent image and make sure you are not a social media one day fly. With a strategy it is easier to make social media work for you because you can do it right at once. If you start without thinking about what you want to post you might have to learn what works and not in a hard way: if you are not interesting people will not follow you (or worse, unfollow you). Those people might not come back.
How to make an online strategy
As with all strategies it starts with the question what you want to achieve. What are your goals? Do you want to create brand awareness or do you want to ask feedback or, ....
Then you need to know your target group. Will they be existing customers, new, both, young, modern, high-tech /low tech, ... It is important to know this so you can adjust your message to your target group and add value for them. Then finally you need a budget. To start Twitter and Facebook is free but it does take time to manage those media and eventually you might want to consider advertisements as well. Don't forget to integrate your online and offline strategy and make sure all means contribute to your mission.
As with all strategies it starts with the question what you want to achieve. What are your goals? Do you want to create brand awareness or do you want to ask feedback or, ....
Then you need to know your target group. Will they be existing customers, new, both, young, modern, high-tech /low tech, ... It is important to know this so you can adjust your message to your target group and add value for them. Then finally you need a budget. To start Twitter and Facebook is free but it does take time to manage those media and eventually you might want to consider advertisements as well. Don't forget to integrate your online and offline strategy and make sure all means contribute to your mission.
General advice on using social media
Mixture of actions
As you can see in the image above social media requires several actions. Once you are set up, you can engage in conversations, listen, measure and learn. It is important to keep this cycle going to be able to improve. You post something, you listen to the feedback, you measure which post where effective (what is retweeted, what led to reactions) and improve.
As you can see in the image above social media requires several actions. Once you are set up, you can engage in conversations, listen, measure and learn. It is important to keep this cycle going to be able to improve. You post something, you listen to the feedback, you measure which post where effective (what is retweeted, what led to reactions) and improve.
Content is king
First of all: content is king. In order to be effective online you need to have content to place on Twitter and Facebook. Before you start a profile you need to know on what kind of content you want to focus. You have to ensure yourself of a continuous stream of information that you are getting and you can post. Once you have an information stream for yourself and you have the right mindset you will be able to find interesting news. If you look at your daily mail, the paper or the television with the idea in mind: what can be of interest to my followers? Then soon filtering news for your social media channels will be an easy habit.
First of all: content is king. In order to be effective online you need to have content to place on Twitter and Facebook. Before you start a profile you need to know on what kind of content you want to focus. You have to ensure yourself of a continuous stream of information that you are getting and you can post. Once you have an information stream for yourself and you have the right mindset you will be able to find interesting news. If you look at your daily mail, the paper or the television with the idea in mind: what can be of interest to my followers? Then soon filtering news for your social media channels will be an easy habit.
Add value and position yourself
It is important to offer your followers something valuable. That can be news, entertainment or advice. Do you want to be an expert in outdoor clothes? Then post about the news and trends in outdoor clothes and share your insights. Do you want to give your company a personal face online? Then focus on sharing your insights and opinion. Make sure to use search words you want to be found on in your profile and post and remember that social media is more about listening then about sending.
It is important to offer your followers something valuable. That can be news, entertainment or advice. Do you want to be an expert in outdoor clothes? Then post about the news and trends in outdoor clothes and share your insights. Do you want to give your company a personal face online? Then focus on sharing your insights and opinion. Make sure to use search words you want to be found on in your profile and post and remember that social media is more about listening then about sending.
Connect and be personal
Use social media to connect. Be open for feedback, be ready to learn, listen and facilitate the contact between your followers. Just remember that you can not be in control of what is said about you. If you get critic: accept it and respond to it. Ignoring it or trying to delete it will make it worse. Social media is all about being open, honest and personally. You need to show your face, who you are and what you stand for. If your posts come from your hart people will know you are authentic and trustworthy. It's important not just to spam your business but to be really interested in what is going on online and to offer something valuable for your followers. Below is some advice on what to post on Twitter and Facebook.
Use social media to connect. Be open for feedback, be ready to learn, listen and facilitate the contact between your followers. Just remember that you can not be in control of what is said about you. If you get critic: accept it and respond to it. Ignoring it or trying to delete it will make it worse. Social media is all about being open, honest and personally. You need to show your face, who you are and what you stand for. If your posts come from your hart people will know you are authentic and trustworthy. It's important not just to spam your business but to be really interested in what is going on online and to offer something valuable for your followers. Below is some advice on what to post on Twitter and Facebook.
Twitter
Twitter started as a platform to inform others on what you are doing. But is is no longer solely about what are you doing but about what is going on. In 140 signs you can post an 'update' which will show in in the 'timeline' of people who follow you. In your timeline you will see the updates of people you are following. People follow others on twitter because of several reasons. For example because they offer something valuable like news, interesting insights or offers. Or because of an personal interest, you follow somebody you know. And for the sake of entertainment: to see some funny tweets.
Twitter started as a platform to inform others on what you are doing. But is is no longer solely about what are you doing but about what is going on. In 140 signs you can post an 'update' which will show in in the 'timeline' of people who follow you. In your timeline you will see the updates of people you are following. People follow others on twitter because of several reasons. For example because they offer something valuable like news, interesting insights or offers. Or because of an personal interest, you follow somebody you know. And for the sake of entertainment: to see some funny tweets.
What to post?
Share news about trends in your business, link to interesting articles, links to cool movies and give your opinion about them. Share your insights: where is the business going to develop, what do you think of what is going on. And of course you can link to your own website and tell what you are working on once and a while. Do you have a special offer? Why not share that. And don't be afraid to add a personal touch and a bit of humor once and a while. As long as the whole mix of posts gives something valuable to the followers.
How to get followers?
To get followers you have to give. And it helps to follow other people. Do you want to be followed by company x? Then follow company x yourself. Follow interesting people so you get interesting posts in your timeline. That is another valuable source of information for you. You can 'retweet' (share somebody else his post with your followers) some of those interesting posts from others. Want more followers? Of course there is the basis of having your twitter profile linked on your website, in your email signature etc. There are a few more things you can do. Again: content is king. Offer value and people will follow you. But they need to find you first so in order to help them you can use hashtags# of trending topics (a sort keywords indicating what the tweet is about), retweet popular posts, follow everybody who should follow you (and more) and see what works and what not. You can see if your post is retweeted or if people respond to it. Use twitter during events. Let people ask questions, ...
To get followers you have to give. And it helps to follow other people. Do you want to be followed by company x? Then follow company x yourself. Follow interesting people so you get interesting posts in your timeline. That is another valuable source of information for you. You can 'retweet' (share somebody else his post with your followers) some of those interesting posts from others. Want more followers? Of course there is the basis of having your twitter profile linked on your website, in your email signature etc. There are a few more things you can do. Again: content is king. Offer value and people will follow you. But they need to find you first so in order to help them you can use hashtags# of trending topics (a sort keywords indicating what the tweet is about), retweet popular posts, follow everybody who should follow you (and more) and see what works and what not. You can see if your post is retweeted or if people respond to it. Use twitter during events. Let people ask questions, ...
When, how much tweets
It is also good to think about the number of posts and the timing. Most companies tend to post during office hours. But try to post at 20.00 in the evening once and on sunday. You will see that a lot of users are online then. What about the number of posts? Post 20 times a day and people will get tired of it. Post almost never and you will get little followers because you have nothing to offer. If you manage to post between 3 and 10 times a week that would be fine. Quality is more important then quantity.
It is also good to think about the number of posts and the timing. Most companies tend to post during office hours. But try to post at 20.00 in the evening once and on sunday. You will see that a lot of users are online then. What about the number of posts? Post 20 times a day and people will get tired of it. Post almost never and you will get little followers because you have nothing to offer. If you manage to post between 3 and 10 times a week that would be fine. Quality is more important then quantity.
Facebook
What to post?
Facebook started for students at university to get to know each other better. The basis is to share updates and stay up to date on what your friends are doing. Facebook users create a profile page that shows their friends and networks information about themselves. Facebook needs different content then Twitter. There are plugins that you can share all your tweets on Facebook: but what is the point of being on 2 different media if you don't have different messages. Where Twitter is used to post interesting articles and give status-updates, Facebook tend to have a more personal nature for most users. Most users are on Facebook to connect with their (international) friends, see what they are doing and they tend to 'like' companies that they already know or has great offers. So only posting interesting articles will not work on Facebook. It is a good start but it is more about creating a community and inspiring the community. To extend your image by sharing cool pictures and movies, to have competitions, links to (company) events and offer discounts. Facebook is more about inspiring people. Not only by information but also by personal comments, questions and insights. A little fun is always good.
What to post?
Facebook started for students at university to get to know each other better. The basis is to share updates and stay up to date on what your friends are doing. Facebook users create a profile page that shows their friends and networks information about themselves. Facebook needs different content then Twitter. There are plugins that you can share all your tweets on Facebook: but what is the point of being on 2 different media if you don't have different messages. Where Twitter is used to post interesting articles and give status-updates, Facebook tend to have a more personal nature for most users. Most users are on Facebook to connect with their (international) friends, see what they are doing and they tend to 'like' companies that they already know or has great offers. So only posting interesting articles will not work on Facebook. It is a good start but it is more about creating a community and inspiring the community. To extend your image by sharing cool pictures and movies, to have competitions, links to (company) events and offer discounts. Facebook is more about inspiring people. Not only by information but also by personal comments, questions and insights. A little fun is always good.
How to get 'likes'?
Besides having a link on your website? You can like other companies (good for your information stream as well), 'like' other posts and respond to (popular) posts. This way other people who see these posts will see your name and might be tempted to take a look in your profile. You can also share articles of others on your page because if you have interesting content, the chance that it will be shared is reasonable.
Besides having a link on your website? You can like other companies (good for your information stream as well), 'like' other posts and respond to (popular) posts. This way other people who see these posts will see your name and might be tempted to take a look in your profile. You can also share articles of others on your page because if you have interesting content, the chance that it will be shared is reasonable.
Amount of time needed
How much time will Twitter and Facebook cost? Once you got your information stream for yourself it can cost you between 30 and 60 minutes a day. Of course you can spend more time on it but in an hour you should be able to scan your timelines and see if there is anything to respond to or to retweet and post something yourself.
How much time will Twitter and Facebook cost? Once you got your information stream for yourself it can cost you between 30 and 60 minutes a day. Of course you can spend more time on it but in an hour you should be able to scan your timelines and see if there is anything to respond to or to retweet and post something yourself.
Advertisements
Although it is described above as if with the perfect content you will get all the attention you want, it might be the case that you have to get yourself known at first. Twitter offers sponsored topics: you can promote tweets, hashtags or accounts which means they will be higher in the (search) results. Facebook offers the option to ask users to 'like' your page and to make small advertisements on other pages.
Although it is described above as if with the perfect content you will get all the attention you want, it might be the case that you have to get yourself known at first. Twitter offers sponsored topics: you can promote tweets, hashtags or accounts which means they will be higher in the (search) results. Facebook offers the option to ask users to 'like' your page and to make small advertisements on other pages.
Below you can see the mountain.TRIP example:
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#thingswelearnedontwitter focus on your key message. If you can't say it in 140 signs, forget it.
#imisswhen on holiday-time colleagues are out of office. In case you go on holiday to the Eifel: here some ways to enjoy the mountains mopedmap.net/route/1126653 wandermap.net/route/1135873
We're looking for www's that contain news about sust. mountain developments in EU.Please reply with links / mail
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Thnks
chimalaya Climate Himalaya by mTeurope Melting Arctic ice releasing banned toxins, warn scientists http://wp.me/pQr6e-1zd grist.org/sprawl/2011-07…, onearth.org/blog/us-govern… More news on mountaintrip.eu
reluuplands Sustainable Uplands by mTeurope Offset your carbon by planting a wildflower meadow tinyurl.com/3qrmswf |
mountain.TRIP project and social media strategy
mountain.TRIP (mT)is all about communicating research results on sustainable mountain developments in Europe. This means we operate in a scientific world and scientists and practitioners are our target groups. They are not very social-media-minded. But mT is not only about communicating research results but also about showing how that can be done. That also means showing how to use Twitter and Facebook.
The goal is simple: get mT known.
The message: everything about sustainable mountain development in Europe.
Target groups: scientists and practitioners.
mountain.TRIP (mT)is all about communicating research results on sustainable mountain developments in Europe. This means we operate in a scientific world and scientists and practitioners are our target groups. They are not very social-media-minded. But mT is not only about communicating research results but also about showing how that can be done. That also means showing how to use Twitter and Facebook.
The goal is simple: get mT known.
The message: everything about sustainable mountain development in Europe.
Target groups: scientists and practitioners.
mountain.TRIP on Twitter
What do we post on twitter?
That leads us to post links on for example the effect of climate change on EU mountains, to retweet advice for scientist to communicate, but also ask our followers their help and feedback and give our opinion or a personal message. (see http://twitter.com/#!/mteurope)
What have we learned about twitter?
What have we learned so far? That it is hard to find unique content about sustainable mountain developments in Europe. On our website we have a rss stream that gets news from over 50 websites we have selected. This still does not generate enough content. We have to keep on looking for good sources (websites, twitter, facebook and google alerts). It is also hard to get reactions on our tweets and what is retweeted is often the useful news with links to articles. However we do have clicks from twitter leading to our website and although we only have 54 followers so far, we are getting mT known. We also learned it takes time to gather the content and to get known.
What have we learned so far? That it is hard to find unique content about sustainable mountain developments in Europe. On our website we have a rss stream that gets news from over 50 websites we have selected. This still does not generate enough content. We have to keep on looking for good sources (websites, twitter, facebook and google alerts). It is also hard to get reactions on our tweets and what is retweeted is often the useful news with links to articles. However we do have clicks from twitter leading to our website and although we only have 54 followers so far, we are getting mT known. We also learned it takes time to gather the content and to get known.
mountain.TRIP on Facebook
Want to know more?
Perhaps after reading this article you are convinced of the advantages of being on social media. Here are a few more platforms you can use:
Perhaps after reading this article you are convinced of the advantages of being on social media. Here are a few more platforms you can use:
Youtube and Vimeo
Websites where you can post your video and share it. You have the possibility to add 'tags' (keywords) to the video and then users looking for such content have a good chance of finding your video. Users can rate and comment your video. You can also integrate youtube or vimeo video's on your own website. And of course you can find interesting movies there yourself. More about youtube: http://google.about.com/od/moreaboutgoogleaps/p/youtubeprofile.htm
Websites where you can post your video and share it. You have the possibility to add 'tags' (keywords) to the video and then users looking for such content have a good chance of finding your video. Users can rate and comment your video. You can also integrate youtube or vimeo video's on your own website. And of course you can find interesting movies there yourself. More about youtube: http://google.about.com/od/moreaboutgoogleaps/p/youtubeprofile.htm
Flickr
Fickr is a website where users can share and rate photo's. It gives other users the opportunity to respond to your pictures. For you it can also be a way to collect feedback and get known. More about Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/tour/
Fickr is a website where users can share and rate photo's. It gives other users the opportunity to respond to your pictures. For you it can also be a way to collect feedback and get known. More about Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/tour/
Google docs
Just a tool to make and share documents online. You can edit the same file with different users, track changes and much more. Of you work with a lot of people in the same documents or you share files via email then google docs can be a nice replacement for this, making sure your documents are always available and findable online. More about google docs: http://www.google.com/google-d-s/tour1.html
Delicious.com
Is a way to share links and see interesting bookmarks of others. It is a way to find and share interesting websites. More about Delicious: http://www.delicious.com/help/learn
Delicious.com
Is a way to share links and see interesting bookmarks of others. It is a way to find and share interesting websites. More about Delicious: http://www.delicious.com/help/learn
Linked-in
This is a network site on which people place their short resume and a bit of information about themselves. It is mostly meant to create an online network of colleagues, old colleagues, people you meet etc. You can see the networks of those people as well and if you want to get in contact with for example somebody who is not in your network, you can see if he/she is in a network of one of your contacts and get in touch via that contact. More about linked-in: http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/
This is a network site on which people place their short resume and a bit of information about themselves. It is mostly meant to create an online network of colleagues, old colleagues, people you meet etc. You can see the networks of those people as well and if you want to get in contact with for example somebody who is not in your network, you can see if he/she is in a network of one of your contacts and get in touch via that contact. More about linked-in: http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/
Below you can also see the use of social media for employees, organizations and businesses.
I hope that after reading this article you know what social media can do for you and you even feel tempted to try it!
by Liesbeth Deddens/MRI
*This article focusses on twitter and facebook because most questions about how to use social media is about them. For example youtube and linked-in tend to be more self explanatory. Google+ is something to take into account as well, but at the time of this article it is still in its test phase.
