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Top Three Thursday: Social Media News You Can Use

Top Three Thursday- Social Media News You Can Use

Top Three Thursday- Social Media News You Can UseWelcome to my Thursday feature. Here’s where I link three useful and interesting articles from excellent information sources that deal with social media and marketing subjects. As you know, changes are always happening in the world of social media. We have a lot to keep up with!

Video is all the rage in social media right now. It gets stronger engagement than other types of content. I’ve discovered, however, that my clients are not all that fond of seeing themselves on camera – and come to think of it, neither am I! Kim Garst of Boom Social to the rescue. Check out her article ‘How To Make Wicked Good Videos Even if You Are Camera Shy.’ She tells us that Facebook has already had 4 billion video views this year! Let her walk you through getting yourself on camera.

Let me quote you a statistic from Convince & Convert: at last count on Google, “there were 60 trillion indexed pages, which is double the 30 trillion from 2013.” How in the world will your content EVER get seen? Read ‘Winning the Lottery Is Easier than Finding Your Content’ for guidance on getting past all that noise.

I’ve said many times that Facebook is still the big gorilla in social media. You need to have a business page. For help on how to make your page and your business stand out, I suggest reading Rebekah Radice’s ‘5 Facebook Marketing Techniques to Get Your Page Seen.’ She says with a little commitment and planning, you can make new contacts daily on Facebook.

See you next week with another edition of Top Three Thursday: Social News You Can Use.

Melody Jones is your social media aspirin. She helps take the pain out of social media for you! Check out her services and see which one can reduce your social media pain the most.

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Top Three Thursday: Social Media News You Can Use

Top Three Thursday ZebrasMy new feature on Thursdays is to link three useful and interesting articles from excellent websites that deal with social media and marketing subjects. As you know, changes are always afoot in the world of social media. Both you and I have a lot to keep up with!

One of my favorite gurus is Mark W. Schaefer of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He and his community members write well-researched, useful posts. Today I recommend reading ‘Thinking around the corners. 7 ideas to re-charge your content.’ It gives seven ways you can rise above the massive content and social noise out there while being you, in your own voice. The author challenges you to dig a little deeper!

While we’re on the subject of writing content, here’s a great article from Copyblogger on repurposing and adding value to older blog content: ‘5 Simple Steps to Breathe New Life into Old Content with SlideShare.’ If you’ve never used the SlideShare tool, the author gives actionable steps on making it work for you. It’s an excellent way to improve engagement with your audience.

And finally, for those of you on the fence or confused about Twitter, here’s a write-up from Social Media Today that will help you move forward on this fast-moving platform: ‘10 Tips for Amazing Marketing on Twitter.’ It’s no longer just a for-fun social network. Twitter can be a powerful business tool.

See you next week with another edition of Top Three Thursday: Social News You Can Use.

Melody Jones is your social media aspirin. She helps take the pain out of social media for you! Check out her services and see which one can reduce your social media pain the most.

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What story are you telling on your social media?

What's your story?
What’s your story?

You’ve heard, read, and seen by now that social media is not really a selling mechanism so much as it is a way to tell a story. People respond to stories. They do not respond to constant advertising which will work against you if you use it too often.

Does that mean you never post an event you’re hosting or a widget you’re selling? No, you can do that, especially if you make it enticing to your fans in some way.

If you’ve taken the time to develop your social media personality and platform, whether you’re witty, warm and fuzzy, passionate, to-the-point, or intuitive, and have interacted with your fans in an authentic way, they’ll be okay with the occasional plug. In fact, if you don’t mention your product at all, they won’t see you as someone with a product useful to them.

Most of you follow a brand or personality on social media. Pay attention to what you like and don’t like. Why do you keep following that page or Twitter account? Do they offer coupons, contests, or other ways to save? Are they amusing? Do they use funny photos?

If you are following a personality, you probably love it when you’re allowed a glimpse “behind the scenes” of that person’s life. It doesn’t have to be deeply personal. On Facebook, Dwayne Johnson will post something from a movie set he’s on, a photo of his mom, or the one day a month he makes pancakes. He also talks about charities and philanthropic efforts.

You can do the same on your social media. Be who you are and do it within your platform. For example, some authors will post photos of their work spaces, talk about the trials and triumphs of being a writer, and post about their latest book. Some ask fans to name a character. They do this in a way that represents their true personality while staying within their genre/expertise.

Other brands post fan photos of their product, whether it’s coffee or a magazine, which encourages engagement. Some offer coupons, host contests and giveaways, or host free webinars.

If you set up social media profiles and then never or rarely get back to them, you are still telling a story.

But is that the story you want your customers and fans to see?