I'm Not A Celebrity but I am a Hootsuite Certified Professional

Contestants will be hearing a lot of hissing and hooting in the jungle

While the jungle celebrities will be hearing a lot of hissing and hooting as they begin another night in the outdoors, you as a business can feel like an A Lister when you discover all the Hootsuite social media dashboard has to offer.  https://hootsuite.com

 If you are trying to manage a number of social media accounts, it may be time to think about signing up to a social media dashboard where you can manage your social profiles in one place.  With Hootsuite you can manage up to 5 social media profiles for free.  Log on to www.hootsuite.com. There is also Hootsuite Pro for Businesses and Professionals where you can manage from 50 -100 profiles. The next level is Hootsuite Enterprise for large corporations, government departments etc. The different options/ pricing plans are available here https://hootsuite.com/plans.  There are many fantastic features on Hoosuite including the following

• You can view your social networks in one place.
• You can set up streams to monitor home feed, direct messages, mentions, scheduled messages sent.
• You can use keyword and search streams for Social Listening .  These streams can focus on what people are saying in your business arena and give you valuable insights on steering your content.
• You can monitor competitor activity by using keyword streams.
• You can manage engagement on LinkedIn groups
• You can set up Twitter Lists
• You can schedule messages to any of your social networks which is great for advance planning
• There is a Bulk Scheduling option can be used for specific social campaigns
• Autoscheduled messages – updates can be sent out at the optimum time by Hootsuite
• You can use shortened Links to monitor engagement
• You can set up pre-approved draft messages can be saved and sent out to social networks as required – This can be helpful for Frequently Asked Questions

ü  View my listing on the Hootsuite Certified Professionals at

   http://learn.hootsuite.com/social-media-consultants/23514 .  Don't delay, get hooting today! 

   If you think this is something you want to set up for your business, email marian@flourishwithsocialmedia.co.uk or call 07594 969529

Thanks Everyone

Turn your offline contacts into lifetime connections

I've gone to many networking events in the past few months and have acquired many different business cards and contacts along the way. The first thing I always do is connect with these people on LinkedIn, because then I know they will always be a connection and not a business card stuck in a pile somewhere. What amazes me is that not many people do the same. In fact only a tiny % connect with me on LinkedIn. Maybe they are just not interested in me as a connection (they seem very enthusiastic at the time!) or maybe because I'm wired in the social media way, this to me it is the next natural step. As people are constantly changing jobs, you may find in the future they are working for a company you would like to do business with. The beauty about LinkedIn is while people change jobs, their profile remains constant and is updated with new changes. Make your networking count and connect with the contacts you make on LinkedIn If you need company pages set up, monthly social media management or an overhaul of your social media efforts, call me, Marian on 07594 969529 or email marian@flourishwithsocialmedia.co.uk The End

Finally I'm an expert....

My son said last week ' Mom, you know how you are an expert in..............' Hurrah, I thought! Before he had divulged my area of expertise, my mind wandered and I thought, finally, the kids see me as an expert in something other than looking after their countless needs, though often they are forthcoming with many criticisms in that area too. I concluded that they see me walking, talking, living and breathing all things social media, early in the morning and late into the night, so they have to think 'Mom is a social media expert!'. Woohoo! They see the books piled high, 'The Business of Being Social', 'Socialnomics', 'Likeable Social Media', to name but a few. On top of the many books are reports, social media magazines, white papers and tutorials slowly engulfing the house.  They see me trawling through newspapers trying to capture the latest news on all things positive and negative about social media, cutting out the relevant articles on how social media has made a practical positive difference to businesses using it. Printing off blog posts relating to the many different aspects of social media including, increasing Facebook Likes, how social media can increase your turnover, leveraging your testimonials and recommendations, engaging content to share with your followers.....the list is endless. So you can imagine my utter disappointment on the one hand (and slight joy on the other) when my son said 'Mom, you know how you are an expert in ....baking!' Ok, so it's not the area of expertise I've been focusing all my energies on but it was nice to know our Saturday afternoon baking sessions were giving my son a whole new assessment of his mother. One day they will see me as an expert in social media, but until then, I will have to continue to deepen my knowledge.....now I'm off to Hootsuite University

Summers over.....

Ok, so its September and everyone is back into their routines, its time to knuckle down again and feed those content hungry social media channels...here's a few more tips to keep up the momentum (which I too am planning to follow...

Content Calendar and Schedule.

Organisations should set up a content calendar and schedule their posts. Decide how often you want to send out updates on the different platforms.  It can be very easy to get caught up in other pressures and neglect your social media channels for a while.  I know, I've been there.  If you have content already scheduled, at least you know you are still engaging with your audience.  Then as other current information comes to your attention you can add these as extra posts

What is the message you want to get across?

What is the organization’s message.  What do you want to communicate to your audience? What are the values and culture of the organization?  Always remember these key aspects when deciding on the tone of your content. A financial services organisation may have a different tone to a students union. 

Content Strategy

You need a content strategy.  Who will look after producing content and do they have the ability.  Who cares about your content going out and whether it is in line with company objectives? The content should fit with the audience following you as well as satisfying the company objectives. 

Original Content

Keep content original for each platform.  Use compelling headlines that grab attention. Offer help. Highlight the brand in posts as search engines take social networks into account.  Tweet breaking news or write about it on Blogger. If you have the news and the insight, others will come looking for it. 

Showcase your wares

Showcase your wares- social media isn’t just for discussion but sharing and displaying products and services. Images have become increasingly popular in social media.  High quality content is the key to websites search optimisation – Facebook says that posts with photo albums produce 180% more engagement than non visual . 

Thanks for reading everyone.

Have a look at my website www.flourishwithsocialmedia.co.uk

Email me marian@flourishwithsocialmedia.co.uk

Tweet me @flourishsocial

Like my facebook page /flourishwithsocialmedia

Follow my LinkedIn Company page - Flourish With Social Media

And relax.....................

Business content for social media platforms

Im continuing my series on ideas for content for social media platforms which a lot of companies struggle to keep up the momentum.......hope it helps

Your Product

A company producing a product can talk about the ingredients used making the product.  The processes that are used in making the product.  Take photos of your product being made.  Your followers will enjoy seeing photos of how your product is produced.  If it is a food product, your followers will enjoy seeing different creations. 

Competition

You can run competitions to engage your customers.  Run a competition on how long a product takes to make, what weight a product is, what ingredients are in the product.  You can offer to print the winners name in your next newsletter and offer a little prize. 

Share

A great way to engage with your audience is to share relevant content from other sources including articles, web links or videos.  I am currently looking after the content from St Albans Credit Union and often share links from ‘The Money Advice Service’, ABCUL-Association of British Credit Unions Ltd and ‘Which’.  Find interesting content from other sources to share with your audience.  They will know you are working hard to keep your content engaging.

Sports and National Events

Try and engage your audience and talk about major sports and national events. Ask them for their opinion. 

Content for business on social networks

Series continued on content companies can use for their social networks....

Many companies find it difficult to come up with content continuously for their social networks. In my last 2 blog posts I have given some suggestions. These are some more......

Photos
Take some photos of you or your staff carrying out your services. Remember 'a picture tells a thousand words'. Take a photo of one of your staff with a happy customer leaving your business, impressed with what your business has done for them. Ask your customers who pass through your door to follow you on Facebook and Twitter and to let people know what they thought of your product or service.

New Customers
Tell everyone about the number of new customers you have acquired in the last few weeks, months or year. If you are having an improvement meeting with your staff, why not ask your followers what they would like to see improved. Is it delivery time, more expert advice, better customer service or more new products.

Thought Leader
Make sure you are a 'thought leader' in your area of expertise, keep up to date with what is going on in your industry and tell your followers about it. Let them know what you think of the last developments; How you think they will impact your industry? Will prices increase? Will services levels be affected by the changes? Will some products or services become obsolete? Tell your followers about books you are reading, apps you like and YouTube videos relevant to your industry

Continued..Content for Social Media Platforms

Im continuing my suggestions for content on social media platforms today.  Here are some more ideas...

Your Standards

Tell your customers regularly about the standards you conform to.  Do you have higher standards than other companies offering the same service e.g when I decided to do a social media course, there were many being offered but few who were certified by the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Are there professional organisations or standards authorities that your products or services adhere to?

How your followers can get in touch

Tell your followers about the steps they should follow when they avail of your services?  Tell them who they should call, email or visit? Give your phone number, email address, and physical locations out regularly.

Changes in your business

Tell followers if you are making changes in your business.  You may be moving premises, launching your products on Amazon, setting up a new computer system, taking on new staff.  Whatever it is, let your followers know about it.  You may be adding new products to your repertoire.  You may be in the middle of writing a book.  These are exciting events for your followers to know about.  You can build up a buzz about certain events.  Businesses now have to be a lot more transparent.  If they are transparent, customers will help them through the times when they are adapting to change and will be patient.

Personal sign off

Whoever posts content on your Facebook or Twitter page, should sign off with their name so people feel connected to a human being rather than a ‘company page’.  Your SOCIAL media channels are there for that reason, to get social.  You want to try and build up a relationship with your followers.  You want your followers to think of you or your company when they decide to purchase a service such as yours.

Daily stories

In any day there will be stories your customers will tell, your staff will tell you, events of the day, news of the day, news in your industry, something you want to offer your customers. It doesn’t always have to be about the business. It can be about a customer who has had a personal or business success such as a new baby a new job or a new business start up.  It could be about the Royal Baby or other National events of importance. Make it personal if you can, not always about the business!

What to talk about on Social Media Platforms

BUSINESS CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS – WHAT CAN YOU TALK ABOUT?

Over the next few days, I am going to telling you my suggestions for content on Social Media Platforms. Here are today's suggestions.....

‘I have nothing to say!’

When I ask companies about their social media profiles, many tell me, yes, they have their accounts set up but they don’t really know what to say?  So I ask them to write down exactly what they do during the day in their business...it’s  a bit like when you go to weight watchers and you have to write down everything you eat, and only then you realise EVERYTHING you do eat.  When you write down what a typical day is in your business, you will soon realise EVERYTHING you and your staff do in a day. 

A list of services

Tell your followers about the services you offer? A follower may know about one part of your business but may not know about any of the other services you offer.  Talk about these services again and again so potential customers realise what you do offer them .

Your Team

Tell your followers regularly who your team is. Let your customers know who their ‘go to’ person in the company is for different services?  Tell followers how your reward your team.  Tell them when you do actually reward a team member for great service. Take a photo of these moments and post them on your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn Pages.

Golden Moments

When you receive an award, a great review, a customer testimonial , your staff complete training, you reached a milestone in your business, whether it is so many customers, you’ve sold so many products or services, share this with your followers. This all builds a profile of your business in the eyes of your potential customers.

Community Support

Tell your followers what community support you provide.  Show your social conscience, whether that it simply offering advice to local community organisations, providing professional services to charitable organisations, raising money for a local or national cause, or getting involved in local and national initiatives.

Try Social Media - Its just another communication channel!

Recently I sent out a simple questionnaire to some companies I am connected to on LinkedIn to get an idea on how organisations feel about social media and whether it is useful for their business.

I have learned and studied a lot about how companies need to have a Social Media Strategy when deciding to set up their social media channels as it is so time and resource intensive. I also know a lot of companies who have set up their social media accounts thinking they have now completed the task and put it in a box, forgetting that being 'Social' means actually interacting with their audience.  They need to realise they are now only at the social media starting blocks! 

The main social media platforms mentioned by companies in my reseach were LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and blogging.  One  company had a clear strategy when setting up their social media channels, whereas for most companies it was a case of trial and error and realising they should have a ‘presence’ on these platforms

Asking what specific objectives companies had when setting up their social media channels, the following were listed

·         Market their business and skills

·         Increase in membership

·         To give something to prospective clients so they will want to contact the company

·         Build up professional Network

·         Advertising the company for free as no budget for paid advertising

·         Building up an overall awareness and presence

·         To have a certain number of followers by a certain date

·         To have a certain number of connections by a certain date

·         To have a regular minimum monthly blog presence

·         To use LinkedIn as a networking tool, to create a large network so others would notice the company and make contact

·         Keep the company in the minds of their audience so they will recommend to friends

·         To have a captive audience when the company want to send out any special deals

Generally companies felt they had met the ‘presence’ objective by setting up their social media channels but felt they were not using social media to its full capacity.  Companies also struggled to keep up the momentum with blogging and tweeting.  

On a positive note companies felt they now had a captive audience so they could share up to date news or offers with their customers.   There was a strong feeling that you have to keep up regular contact with your audience to stay in their minds

The majority of companies said social media had positively affected their business but there was a feeling they were not using it to its full potential to get peoples reviews, experience and recommendations.

When asked for some useful advice to give to other companies, I got some good practical tips.....

·         Go on a course to save time in trying to get it right yourself

·         Set weekly tasks, stick to them and maintain a regular feed to your channels

·         Decide what you want to achieve

·         Look at the resources you have before you start

·         Decide on the type of content you want to share with your audience

·         Keep your profile up to date as much as possible

·         Build up your network as quickly as possible

·         Don’t be scared of social media, give it a try and get going

·         Try it – It is just another communication channel

I want to thank those who took part in my reseach and to those who didn't, my next research project is coming down the tracks!

Thanks for reading.  Give me a call on 00 44 7594 969529 or email me marian@flourishwithsocialmedia.co.uk

My first blog broke all the rules

Blog Analysis – My first blog broke a lot of the blogging rules

When I wrote my first blog, I did not really have a clue what I was doing.  I had been studying the social media space for a few months and put together everything I knew into a word document.  Then I decided, maybe I can publish it as a Blog.  So that’s how my first blog post was born.  By some lucky accident and even though I broke a lot of the blogging rules, the blog was published by an American social media website, www.socialmediopolis. 

I dived in to the blogging world so to speak and now I’m catching my breadth and want to make my blog more compelling, readable and attractive.  To this end, I have read a great book called ‘Blogging for Creatives’ by Robin Houghton.  This book is a great practical guide to blogging, the different blogging platforms, and lots of blog examples.  So I’ve decided to compare my first blog post and see how it ‘fitted’ into the general rules of blogging

1.       Headline to grab the reader - My first blog post had a decent Headline.  Could I have made it better?  Definitely!

2.       Pick a topic you care about - My first blog did talk about a subject I care and am passionate about, Social Media for Business, so I think this came across and connected to the reader. 

3.       Content – A blog post can be a text, video, photos or audio or a combination of all of these.  - My first blog post was text only.  Now I am investigating how to do audio and video to mix it up for my readers.

4.       Make it short and frequent– Keep it short, approx 250 words is plenty.  Some exceptions including recipes and tutorials apply  - Oh dear, my first blog post was 1,857 words.  My poor, poor readers. I apologise to you all.  As for frequency my next blog post came 4 months later.  I felt I had to have something really compelling to offer my readers before I published anything.  Now I have to blog little and often instead of long and infrequent.  That is a big challenge!

5.       Readability - reasonably sized clear font on a pale background, no background graphics beneath the text, generous line spacing.  Basically make it as easy as possible for people to read your blog post - My first blog post was pretty easy to read but generally a bit boring to look at .  It had no bells and whistles.  Again this is an area I am now working on by changing the template and theme of my blog to make it look more attractive

6.       Tags and Labels should be put into your blog posts so people find blogs related to the topic they want to read about - My first blog had no tags or labels.  I now have added these labels to my blog posts as it makes it easier for people to find. This is pretty easy to do.  Tags and Labels are basically words and phrases that identify and describe your blog content.  By adding these tags and labels your blog post will be found by search engines also. In Blogger which I use, there is a section called 'Post Settings'.  Click on this and a section called 'Labels' comes up.  For this blog post, I will add the following labels 'blog'  'blogging', 'blogging tips', Blogging for creatives by Robin Houghton and 'social media'.  Put in as much as you can, but you are restricted to a certain number of characters you can use.

7.       Easy to share – My first blog post did give my readers an opportunity to share it with others, though I did not realise this and did not encourage them to do so.  At the end of my blog post, on the bottom left of the page, my readers can share my blog post by email, blogger,Twitter,Facebook and Google +. Thank you to any of you who shares this with friends or colleagues! 

How does your blog compare with the 'rules'? Learn anything new today?. I would love to hear your comments

If you would like to start a company blog but do not have the time, email me at murchumar@hotmail.com or give me a call  00 44 7594 969529.  

Has your business the Human touch?

Maybe it’s my Irish way that I always want to ‘make a connection’, but I feel many businesses need to become more human to gain the customers they want and probably deserve.

So what need is your product or service satisfying in me? When I log on to your website, ‘like’ your Facebook Page or follow you on Twitter, what will compel me to action?

How are you inspiring me to give you a call, fill in my contact details, book your service or buy your product?  How do I know you or your product can do what you say? Are you on my wavelength?

You need to put yourself in my shoes.  If I’ve landed on your website or one of your social media channels, I want you to persuade me I’m in the right place.  Do you understand my needs?  Why do you stand out from the crowd?

Strip it back
As more and more companies are realising how important social media and online presence is for their business, they need to examine their offering at a basic human level.  The organisation needs to strip back how it is describing its offering to potential customers.  What human need is your product or service fulfilling?  How are you connecting with your audience?  Can they see what others are saying about your product or service? Are your testimonials and reviews visible?  Remember your best advertisement is what other customers have said about you.

Redefining what you have to offer
Let’s take a Safety supplies company.   Previously it may have described itself as a business ‘who distributed safety supplies’.  Ok, not grabbing me so far! After stripping back the layers, it now becomes more customer focused and describes itself as ‘keeping you safe at work’. Pow! The company now connects to me and my safety!

Similarly a career coach who may once have described their service as ‘career coaching’ may now describe their offering as ‘helping you to unlock your true potential’.  This is a lot more inspiring to read! After all, is that not what any of us want, to unlock our true potential! 

What’s your story?
We all have a story. You have to think about your Company’s Story, what it is trying to do and how it can make your customers lives better.  If you are a sole trader, what are the unique values you bring to your business and customers? Is it personal service, long opening hours or simply specialising in one unique market.

If you are a larger organisation, what is your culture and how is your product or service created? Do you use quality ingredients to produce your product? How is your service quality guaranteed? What makes your organisation unique to those customers relevant to your business?  Let your business talk human to human and you have a greater chance of connecting to – Humans!

‘Pick me, Pick me!’
I’ve injured my back after a fall in a local shop.  Something was spilled on the floor but there was no warning.  My consultant has told me I will be unable to work for a few months.  I am really stressed out, worrying a lot about finances and I need some legal advice and help fast.  When I do a Google search on injury lawyers in my area, the first two websites that pop up are very professional looking but are very different in how they communicate with me.

No!
The first one is very slick and business-like with the dominant colours of grey, black and navy.  There are photos of people in dark suits looking quite serious, ominous looking courthouses and large solid wood tables in big meeting rooms.  The site tells me a great deal about the firm, the lawyers’ careers to date and their qualifications.  Yes it all looks very professional but that urge to contact the company evades me.  Why? I don’t feel that connection.  I’m sure they will be excellent at the legal side of things but I want someone to put me at ease also and provide the support I need.  Something tells me I will feel like a duck out of water!

Yes!
I go back to my search and click on the other law firm.  I am greeted with a similarly slick professional looking website.  However, something is different.  The colours are warmer.  People are dressed in smart attire but the scene looks a lot less intimidating.  There are smiles.  There are concerned faces.  There are some cups of coffee on the table.  I feel a connection!  Their homepage says ‘We stand by your side in challenging times’.  I feel more connected!  Also on the homepage are 2 testimonials from people who had suffered personal injury and couldn’t work for months.   The testimonials describe how these people felt after this life changing event, how the law firm made them feel, how they supported them and the advice they gave on what outside agencies could assist in these difficult times.

You’re the one that I want!
I am totally connected to these stories! It is me with a different name.  I feel the fire ignite within me.  I feel this company is the right ‘fit’ for me.  I am then drawn to a section on ‘community support’ which details the partnerships the firm has with various local voluntary organisations.  This is a firm who is giving something back.  I am so impressed.  The firm is  obviously very successful but also has a social conscience that I can see.  To me, they completely connect with me as a human being and the challenges facing me.

Humanise your business today – You will not regret it!

Thanks for reading!  Have you learned anything from this blog post?  I would really like to hear from you if you took any action after reading this.  Are you using every opportunity in your website and social media profiles to connect to your audience. 

If you need fresh eyes to carry out a website and social media review for your business

Call me at  00 44 7594 969529

Follow me on Twitter @marianmurphy2

Email me on murchumar@hotmail.com

Connect with me on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marian-murphy/4a/a08/aa3