When you say social media you mainly think of the people forming communities, the relationships between them and their power to drive attention, money and fun over the Internet. If you think of a social media company, you naturally assume that they consider their own users as the most valuable assets and that keeping them happy is a must to reach a level of success.
In the last two months, I’ve recruited 3 new Community Managers for our clients. This is just in line with my predictions for 2010 since 80% of companies will establish a social media presence this year (I just made up that number). However the ones who create a community manager position are making a statement and getting ahead of the game. It’s not too late to catch up. According to AdAge yesterday, “the hottest job in marketing might just be the community managers” and this is just starting. We’ve been placing community managers for over 3 years and currently there are 7 managers out there building the internal position for our clients.
Of course those of you who are regulars here know that I consider Chris Brogan a mentor. I even brought him to my town (actually my ex-town) in Rochester when his first book Trust Agents came out. One thing I love about Chris is his capacity to keep his feet on the ground. He’s so real and genuine that anyone (even me) can actually feel capable of becoming a social media consultant.
You are the pilot of your social media plane. You determine the direction, the height, the speed and even the number of passengers you can carry. Just like any independent pilot, you can either plan your route before take-off or just wonder around up in the air until the fuel is down and your plane crashes.
Often professional consultants underestimate the use of social media. They see it as a waste of their billable hours and they also think that the space is already clutter with noise. If you are a consultant, I have news for you: Social media is for you. This is of course if you are willing to take the time to learn the hows of the game. Here are some initial tips:
Many people view Facebook as a trivial social networking site. After all, the vast majority of people use it to play games and hang out with friends from high school . . . it’s easy to underestimate the site. That’s why so many businesses never bother to put up a fan page, though it can actually be an excellent way to go.
With its Olympic Mascot, Wenlock and Paralympic Mascot, Mandeville, the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) hope to gain the support of the young generation, to inspire young people and encourage them to get involved in sport. Recently launched, the two mascots have already triggered controversy in the UK, with some design critics feeling strongly against this approach:
Despite the fact that social media is now an accepted form of marketing, there are still many business people who just don’t see the point of it. That’s a shame, because everyone can benefit from online networking and sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, just to name a few. Today we’re going to look at a few of the best reasons you should be using social media if you aren’t already.
Social bookmarking sites are extremely popular, thanks to their ability to zap your site with hundreds of new visitors. The rush that comes from seeing that spike of short-lived traffic can be addictive, but how do you ensure that you get a continuous stream of that kind of traffic? The best method is to submit news stories to social bookmarking sites. Here are 10 that I think are well worth submitting to.
If you look at Twitter, you’ll immediately notice that very few people are actually using their own names. Instead, you’ll see names like “problogger”, “thegourmetmama” and “aplusk”. Some people do use their own names, but since there are thousands of people with the same name in many cases, your name may not actually be available. Even if it is, is it in your best interest to set up shop with your real name?