In our last blog post we discussed several important practices when trying to build an effective Twitter and LinkedIn account. Today we will discuss Blogs, Forums and Facebook.
With regard to Blogs and Forums, it is best to blog once or twice a week to maintain reader interest. When first starting out, it is important to firmly establish your relevance and what your content will be centred around. After you have established yourself as an expert in a certain field then you can stray from your main topic.
In order to find readers, they have to find you! Make sure you broadcast your blog all over Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Tumblr and any other social media websites you use, as well as your personal and/or company website. The more the better!
Facebook has become one of the most important social networking website for personal and business use alike. If you use it for both, make sure that you have separate accounts for both as it can be difficult to monitor not only what posts and pictures you publish but also what your friends publish to your account.
It is important to fill in your profile as much as possible and, if using it for business purposes, to include professional headshots and office shots in a photo album.
Creating a Page and a Group can be highly effective. Make sure your friends know about their existence and are sharing with their friends!
It is important to search for contacts frequently and also to update your page often with interesting and relevant news, blogs, etc as people will often check their Facebook at least once per day.
Be sure that you're selective in what you broadcast as it can be easy to lose track of who you have "friended" on Facebook.
Good luck in your social networking endeavours and be sure to check out our Facebook page for helpful social networking tips and tricks: http://www.facebook.com/escomputertraining
Happy networking!
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business. Show all posts
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Best Practices in Social Media -Part 1
When trying to establish your social media presence, it can be difficult to determine just how often and how much you should be posting and/or updating your social network. Here are some basic guidelines that will help you do just that.
TWITTER: Everyone's favourite microblog
In terms of frequency, it is best to tweet once daily for recreation and a minimum of twice a week with useful information. With regard to content, it is important to establish what kind of campaign you want at the beginning (i.e. whether it will be for amusement or professional info or a balance of both -which should not be done until you are well established in the Twitter world.)
LINKEDIN: The networking haven for professionals
When beginning, make sure you fill in your profile as much as possible and be sure to include a professional picture. Continue to actively search for and add professional connections and recommend the connections you have worked with (perhaps they will return the favour!). Join professional groups relevant to you and be sure to update your profile relatively often with news, links and events important to a good portion of your connections.
Part 2, which will cover Blogs/Forums and Facebook, will be posted later this week. Until then, happy networking!
http://www.escomputertraining.com/
http://www.facebook.com/escomputertraining
http://twitter.com/#!/anneleroux
TWITTER: Everyone's favourite microblog
In terms of frequency, it is best to tweet once daily for recreation and a minimum of twice a week with useful information. With regard to content, it is important to establish what kind of campaign you want at the beginning (i.e. whether it will be for amusement or professional info or a balance of both -which should not be done until you are well established in the Twitter world.)
LINKEDIN: The networking haven for professionals
When beginning, make sure you fill in your profile as much as possible and be sure to include a professional picture. Continue to actively search for and add professional connections and recommend the connections you have worked with (perhaps they will return the favour!). Join professional groups relevant to you and be sure to update your profile relatively often with news, links and events important to a good portion of your connections.
Part 2, which will cover Blogs/Forums and Facebook, will be posted later this week. Until then, happy networking!
http://www.escomputertraining.com/
http://www.facebook.com/escomputertraining
http://twitter.com/#!/anneleroux
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Business Implications of Social Networking
Social networking, one of the most significant technological innovations of the last decade, has changed how we communicate with one another and has changed our social norms, the speed of communication and the access we have to information.
Since about two-thirds of Canada uses Facebook, it is clear that this website and other social media tools have become a crucial part of our day-to-day living.
Typically, approximately 5% of your clients are intimate while 20% are contacted once or twice a year and 70% are clients you would like to bring closer.
Social media will help you to create and maintain a more intimate relationship with this 70%.
When you begin to build your social network, it is important to consider Brand Development, methods of Internet Advertising and your current Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy. It is often most effective to consider what your customer's point of view would be. What they would like to read about and how often they would want to be reading this are good points to start with. You can use this information to begin a dialogue with these customers and to eventually build a successful relationship with them.
ES Computer Training has helped corporations and can help you to create your Social Media Strategy and to begin using Social Networking for your business' success.
Visit http://www.escomputertraining.com for our full course description and schedule.
Check out our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/escomputertraining and become a fan for regular updates about social media strategies for business, insurance, finance, real estate and more.
Since about two-thirds of Canada uses Facebook, it is clear that this website and other social media tools have become a crucial part of our day-to-day living.
Typically, approximately 5% of your clients are intimate while 20% are contacted once or twice a year and 70% are clients you would like to bring closer.
Social media will help you to create and maintain a more intimate relationship with this 70%.
When you begin to build your social network, it is important to consider Brand Development, methods of Internet Advertising and your current Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy. It is often most effective to consider what your customer's point of view would be. What they would like to read about and how often they would want to be reading this are good points to start with. You can use this information to begin a dialogue with these customers and to eventually build a successful relationship with them.
ES Computer Training has helped corporations and can help you to create your Social Media Strategy and to begin using Social Networking for your business' success.
Visit http://www.escomputertraining.com for our full course description and schedule.
Check out our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/escomputertraining and become a fan for regular updates about social media strategies for business, insurance, finance, real estate and more.
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Social Media CAN Grow Your Business. Here's How.
With new technology emerging constantly and our online social network consistently growing, it is important to use social media as a valuable tool in growing your business. Here are six ways that social media helps you to grow your business in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Web Source
www.hubspot.com
1. Quick to Start. You could launch a Facebook page today or get a blog going in a few days.
2. Low Cost. You can get started in social media and blogging for very little or no money. They are among the most cost-effective methods of reaching your audience.
3. Instant Interactivity. Both blogs and social media can give you nearly instant market feedback - good or bad. We get all kinds of feedback through the comments on our blog; people also leave reviews and other comments for us on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media channels.
4. It's the Search Engines, Silly. Surveys indicate that 90% or more of people begin their purchasing process in search engines. Blogs and social media make it more likely that your prospects will find you online when they search.
5. Inbound Marketing. If you read our blog, you know that we're big fans of inbound marketing at HubSpot. Outbound marketing is telemarketing, direct mail, cold email blasts (not lovely nurturing emails like this one to you), TV and print ads - all the things that buyers tend to block out more and more. Social media and blogs are essential inbound marketing tools.
6. First Mover Advantage. For blogs and social media, there is an advantage to moving first. If you don't jump into the conversation, your competitors will (if they have not already) and then you're fighting an uphill battle to become influential in these online conversations. Start now to claim that first-mover advantage.
Web Source
www.hubspot.com
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Making Website Visitors Stick
Businesses often spend a large amount of time and money trying to increase traffic to their website using a variety of marketing channels. Most of the time they are successful in doing this, however if these visitors are not converted into customers the time and money spent on the website are lost.
Here are some tips for converting those one time website visitors into long term customers.
1. Make their job easy
Ensure that it is easy for website visitors to respond to you or your offering. For example, if you have them fill out a form make sure it is short and simple.
2. Test
Make sure you are consistently testing your forms, landing pages, etc. to ensure that you continually have information that will help you to improve conversion rates.
3. Provide multiple communication channels
Not everyone prefers the same communication channels so ensure that you have provided multiple methods of contacting you (phone, email, filling in forms, etc)
4. Know your visitor demographic
Make sure you know who your potential customers are and how to speak to them, as well as what matters to them and how they make decisions. Pay close attention to ensuring your offerings are relevant to them.
5. Provide a clear call to action
Visitors need to know what you want them to do and it needs to be easy for them to do it. Make sure it is prominent, clear and direct.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter (anneleroux ) and to visit our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/escomputertraining ) for more helpful tips and tricks for helping your business grow.
Be sure to follow us on Twitter (anneleroux ) and to visit our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/escomputertraining ) for more helpful tips and tricks for helping your business grow.
Web Sources
http://www.mpdailyfix.com/increasing-online-conversions-is-as-easy-as-1-2-3-4-5/?adref=nl041511
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Sometimes, When I'm All Alone, I Google Myself
Ego-surfing, or searching your name using Google or another search engine, is a common practice among most Internet users. Ego-surfing, however, is not always an egotistical action. Both individuals and companies do this as a means of monitoring online conversations about themselves or their company. This is an excellent way to receive valuable feedback that you may have otherwise been unaware of. It is especially important that job hunters be aware of their Internet presence as well as the presence of those sharing their name as employers can use your online presence to make an employment decision.
In this blog entry we will mainly discuss blogs and websites with and without RSS feeds.
First, blogs and websites with RSS feeds. RSS feeds make it extremely easy to monitor reactions about your blog because you can choose to be notified automatically whenever there is any mention of your or the company name. You can do this by typing your name in any blog search engine (i.e. Google) and subscribe to your news reader's search results feed.
With regard to websites without RSS feeds, the only way to track your name is to go through Google web search. Unlike the blog search, you can't sort results by date and no RSS feeds will turn up in the search results. Fortunately, there is a method to automating this daily routine:
1. Go to Google Advanced Search and select "past 24 hours" in the date field. This is to filter out all posts from more than 24 hours ago.
2. Type your name enclosed in quotation marks in the search box. Also include any common misspellings separated using the OR operator.
3. Copy the Google URL in the address bar and paste that into the search box at Page2RSS.com. This will create a RSS feed of your search results that you can subscribe via email or any news reader.
Doing this will ensure that anything mentioning your name will be sent to your inbox or RSS reader, helping you to effectively and efficiently keep tabs on conversations surrounding you and your business.
Web sources:
http://www.labnol.org/internet/search/googling-yourself-or-ego-surfing-with-google/1861/
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/ethics/1017964102.php
In this blog entry we will mainly discuss blogs and websites with and without RSS feeds.
First, blogs and websites with RSS feeds. RSS feeds make it extremely easy to monitor reactions about your blog because you can choose to be notified automatically whenever there is any mention of your or the company name. You can do this by typing your name in any blog search engine (i.e. Google) and subscribe to your news reader's search results feed.
With regard to websites without RSS feeds, the only way to track your name is to go through Google web search. Unlike the blog search, you can't sort results by date and no RSS feeds will turn up in the search results. Fortunately, there is a method to automating this daily routine:
1. Go to Google Advanced Search and select "past 24 hours" in the date field. This is to filter out all posts from more than 24 hours ago.
2. Type your name enclosed in quotation marks in the search box. Also include any common misspellings separated using the OR operator.
3. Copy the Google URL in the address bar and paste that into the search box at Page2RSS.com. This will create a RSS feed of your search results that you can subscribe via email or any news reader.
Doing this will ensure that anything mentioning your name will be sent to your inbox or RSS reader, helping you to effectively and efficiently keep tabs on conversations surrounding you and your business.
Web sources:
http://www.labnol.org/internet/search/googling-yourself-or-ego-surfing-with-google/1861/
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/ethics/1017964102.php
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Safety in Social Networking
As social networking websites are used more and more often for personal and professional purposes, there is more opportunity for hackers, spammers and identity thieves to take advantage of these users.
Here are some helpful tips to ensure that you can be safe while still using social media as a highly effective tool for maintaining your networks:
1. Use caution when clicking links sent in messages. In general, if you treat these as you would treat emails containing links you can avoid harmful links. If you don't recognize the sender or if the link does not seem to relate to something a person you know would send then use caution.
2. Keep track of what you have posted. Hackers can often use information that you have posted or listed (for example, your birthday on your profile) to answer questions such as "Forgot your password?" and gain control of your account.
3. Don't allow sites to scan your email address book. Often when you join sites they will offer to scan your email address book so you can find more contacts. To do this you provide your email address and password. What these websites will often do is email all your contacts or even anyone you have sent an email to from that address.
4. Be very selective about who you accept as a friend or connection in your network. Hackers can create fake accounts in order to gather your personal information.
5. Use caution when installing extras on your site. Some social networking websites allow third-party extras to be used on your personal page. These applications can be interesting and helpful, but make sure that you have properly protected your computer and are aware of what could be a harmful application.
By following these basic tips and actively monitoring your social media account, you can maintain a safe and fun social network.
Follow this blog for tips and tricks about social networking. We also have a Twitter account, anneleroux, that we use to post regular updates about technology, social media and related topics.
Happy networking!
Here are some helpful tips to ensure that you can be safe while still using social media as a highly effective tool for maintaining your networks:
1. Use caution when clicking links sent in messages. In general, if you treat these as you would treat emails containing links you can avoid harmful links. If you don't recognize the sender or if the link does not seem to relate to something a person you know would send then use caution.
2. Keep track of what you have posted. Hackers can often use information that you have posted or listed (for example, your birthday on your profile) to answer questions such as "Forgot your password?" and gain control of your account.
3. Don't allow sites to scan your email address book. Often when you join sites they will offer to scan your email address book so you can find more contacts. To do this you provide your email address and password. What these websites will often do is email all your contacts or even anyone you have sent an email to from that address.
4. Be very selective about who you accept as a friend or connection in your network. Hackers can create fake accounts in order to gather your personal information.
5. Use caution when installing extras on your site. Some social networking websites allow third-party extras to be used on your personal page. These applications can be interesting and helpful, but make sure that you have properly protected your computer and are aware of what could be a harmful application.
By following these basic tips and actively monitoring your social media account, you can maintain a safe and fun social network.
Follow this blog for tips and tricks about social networking. We also have a Twitter account, anneleroux, that we use to post regular updates about technology, social media and related topics.
Happy networking!
Monday, 18 April 2011
Is Your Blog Networked?
“Bring your blog to Facebook and Facebook to your blog.” Though most people use Facebook only for “traditional” actions –finding and keeping in touch with friends, sharing photos and videos and planning events- there is so much more to this incredible social networking tool. One feature in particular, the application “NetworkedBlogs,” allows you to connect with all blog authors who have linked their blogs to this Facebook app. The great thing about NetworkedBlogs is that you can use it to establish a newsfeed that only contains content from blogs you’re interested in and have therefore subscribed to, so it is a highly effective tool for everyone, not just those with blogs.
As there are over 3000 blog categories on NetworkedBlogs and over 1.6 million monthly users, there is no shortage of information for those following or looking to follow blogs. It is relatively easy to find blogs of interest to you, especially when you first sign up as they ask you to follow your first 5 blogs and as such will suggest some fairly popular and relevant blog sites. In addition, authors often attach tags to their blogs when posting in NetworkedBlogs so if you search for a topic of interest to you you’re likely find a blog on that topic fairly easily.
For more information about a variety of social networking media, follow this blog and our Twitter account (http://twitter.com/#!/anneleroux ) and check out our Facebook pages and groups (search ES Computer Training). Happy blogging!
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Fan Pages: The Great and the Pointless
I tend to classify fan pages into the great and the pointless. The great majority of fan pages are pointless. No one really likes them (I mean Facebook like, not highschool like). They are a billboard lost in an ocean of billboards that no one really pays attention to. Alternately, your fan page can be great and Nike has proven that.
Nike’s recent fan page (which I ‘like’) falls into this category. Nike has defined a target market (women, over 20, into fitness), and created a page for this market featuring inspiring information and photos of women who are successful, inspired, empowered and engaged in fitness training.
Quotes from fan page “Nike Women”
“Make Yourself Lean. Knee Tucks really work it. They’ll increase your heart rate, burn fat, build up your shoulder stabilizer muscles, develop your core, and give you a power boost. Just be sure to keep your weight over your shoulders and your abs tight. Want more moves? Download the Nike Training Club app”
Nike is speaking to their target market and engaging them, providing them with something useful and of value. When creating a fan page, always keep in mind the intended audience. Here is another example.
Nike Sport inspires hope, instills discipline, reduces depression and disease. What has sport done for you? NikeBetterWorld www.youtube.com
“Dedicated to serving the athlete and making a better world through sport http://nikebetterworld.com/ Learn more about Nike's plan and ongoing efforts towards factories, environment, communities, and public policy.”
The most important thing to remember is that the page is meant to speak to your target market and be useful to them.
Answer these questions when creating your fan page:
1. Identify your customers. Who are they? Why are they doing business with you? What are they looking for? Can you segment them?
2. What are they looking for and why are they doing business with you?
3. How can you fulfill that need through inspiration and verification?
4. Can you connect them to the inside track? Can you give them special insights, special inclusion and membership in a group? Social Networking is all about exclusive networks.
And like Nike says: “Just do it” .
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Do You Make the List?
Using Lists on Twitter
Twitter lists are generally used when one is following many Twitter users (i.e. 100 or more) and can’t actively use Twitter more than once or twice a day, therefore getting a build-up of tweets in their timeline (homepage) making it look more like useless noise rather than informative. To create a list, simply sign in and go to your homepage. Then click the “Lists” button (directly below where you would write a tweet). A drop-down menu should appear, from which you should select “Create a list.” This should take you to a screen where you can name the list, choose to make it public or private, and you can opt to include a short description (this is recommended for public lists).
Once you have created your list(s), you can view all the users you are following by clicking on the Following button on the right side of your home page. When your list of followers is visible, click on the white button with lines on it next to the button that says “Following.” Your list of lists should then drop down and you can select the list you would like to add this user to.
Using lists will help you sort through all the information you receive from users every day, helping you to use Twitter much more efficiently.
Check here for regular posts with information about Twitter, Facebook and other social media.We also offer courses about Social Networking for professionals. Visit www.escomputertraining.com for a full list of courses and their schedules, and follow us on Twitter for regular updates about social networking as well as interesting facts, quotes and stories from around the world: http://twitter.com/#!/anneleroux
Thursday, 7 April 2011
“Video Killed the Radio Star” and Video Blogging Killed the TV Star
With the availability of the Internet, consumers expect that they will have information about the brands they buy and the people behind them readily available as well. Though blogging is often used by businesses and consumers alike, video blogging can also be an effective way to share information about a business or product. There are not many corporate video bloggers, so video blogging is a great opportunity to get your name (and face) out there.
By using videos, it is easier to create a more personal connection between you (and/or your product or service) and your viewers (and potential customers). When viewers get a glimpse of your personality, mannerisms, etc., they feel that they know you and experience a stronger feeling of trust. Trust is crucial when consumers are trying to pick a product or service to spend their money on.
According to a comScore Internet survey, YouTube is now the number 2 search engine, and it has been found by a recent Forbes/Google survey that 75+% of C-level executives watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week.
Not only is video blogging effective, it is also economical. All that is needed is any kind of camera (webcam, video camera, etc) as well as a room with some sort of lighting. Once your video is created, it’s easy to upload your video to a large number of sites, including Vimeo, YouTube and DailyMotion.
Here are some tips before you try your hand at video blogging:
1. Move focus from your product to unique content
Viewers are constantly looking for new and interesting material when viewing videos online. If viewers gain a more positive take away from your material, it’s more likely they’ll remember you and your brand.
2. Choose a video format and stick with it
Make it easier for yourself and your viewers to stick with your video blog – pick one format to use (i.e. quick tips, product reviews, etc) and stick with it. It can be exhausting and complicated to try and maintain different concepts.
3. Show your true personality
It will be obvious to viewers when you aren’t showing your true self on your video blog. Allow yourself to be authentic and to make small mistakes (viewers can find this endearing!) and anything that sets you apart from other video bloggers will keep viewers coming back for more!
4. Market and promote this video blog (vlog)
Though it is often assumed, it isn’t often the case that because you have posted it online it will be found. Use other media that you’re online with (your website, blog, social networking websites) to promote your video blog and create noticeable and memorable headlines for your videos to grab viewers’ attention.
You may also find this article and video helpful about how to get the most out of Youtube Editor: http://mashable.com/2011/04/03/how-to-youtube-editor/
By using videos, it is easier to create a more personal connection between you (and/or your product or service) and your viewers (and potential customers). When viewers get a glimpse of your personality, mannerisms, etc., they feel that they know you and experience a stronger feeling of trust. Trust is crucial when consumers are trying to pick a product or service to spend their money on.
According to a comScore Internet survey, YouTube is now the number 2 search engine, and it has been found by a recent Forbes/Google survey that 75+% of C-level executives watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week.
Not only is video blogging effective, it is also economical. All that is needed is any kind of camera (webcam, video camera, etc) as well as a room with some sort of lighting. Once your video is created, it’s easy to upload your video to a large number of sites, including Vimeo, YouTube and DailyMotion.
Here are some tips before you try your hand at video blogging:
1. Move focus from your product to unique content
Viewers are constantly looking for new and interesting material when viewing videos online. If viewers gain a more positive take away from your material, it’s more likely they’ll remember you and your brand.
2. Choose a video format and stick with it
Make it easier for yourself and your viewers to stick with your video blog – pick one format to use (i.e. quick tips, product reviews, etc) and stick with it. It can be exhausting and complicated to try and maintain different concepts.
3. Show your true personality
It will be obvious to viewers when you aren’t showing your true self on your video blog. Allow yourself to be authentic and to make small mistakes (viewers can find this endearing!) and anything that sets you apart from other video bloggers will keep viewers coming back for more!
4. Market and promote this video blog (vlog)
Though it is often assumed, it isn’t often the case that because you have posted it online it will be found. Use other media that you’re online with (your website, blog, social networking websites) to promote your video blog and create noticeable and memorable headlines for your videos to grab viewers’ attention.
You may also find this article and video helpful about how to get the most out of Youtube Editor: http://mashable.com/2011/04/03/how-to-youtube-editor/
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Using Facebook Fan Pages for Business
A Facebook fan page can be a great tool for marketing your company or product. Facebook users simply have to “like” the page and they will receive any and all updates you post to the page in their home newsfeed. An important thing to consider when creating a fan page is how much access you want to grant to your fans (i.e. whether they can post comments, photos, etc to the page). If you have many people who like the page, it may be best to restrict their access to these features, as it can result in many notifications for your fans and it can be difficult to constantly monitor for negative commenting, etc.
To restrict fan access to your page, simply visit your page and click the “Edit Page” button on the top right hand side of your page. This should bring you to the “Manage Permissions” page for editing. By default, the three options (users can write or post content on the wall, users can add photos, users can add videos) will be selected. Simply deselect these to restrict user access.
If you would like to allow certain people to be able to post content to the page, simply go to the “Manage Admins” page (under the same list as the “Manage Permissions” page in the Edit mode). You can add an Admin by typing a friend’s name where it says to do so.
Facebook fan pages can be an extremely useful tool in marketing when used correctly. They can act as a sort of one-way public broadcast to your fans by posting in their newsfeed, effectively sharing with them the latest news about your company or product. Make sure you’re inviting your Facebook connections to visit your fan page and to like it if they so choose. This is the best way to promote your page. Check our blog daily for more tips and tricks about a variety of social media.
We also offer a course on Social Networking for business, mortgage, insurance and financial professionals. For dates and locations, visit www.escomputertraining.com.
To restrict fan access to your page, simply visit your page and click the “Edit Page” button on the top right hand side of your page. This should bring you to the “Manage Permissions” page for editing. By default, the three options (users can write or post content on the wall, users can add photos, users can add videos) will be selected. Simply deselect these to restrict user access.
If you would like to allow certain people to be able to post content to the page, simply go to the “Manage Admins” page (under the same list as the “Manage Permissions” page in the Edit mode). You can add an Admin by typing a friend’s name where it says to do so.
Facebook fan pages can be an extremely useful tool in marketing when used correctly. They can act as a sort of one-way public broadcast to your fans by posting in their newsfeed, effectively sharing with them the latest news about your company or product. Make sure you’re inviting your Facebook connections to visit your fan page and to like it if they so choose. This is the best way to promote your page. Check our blog daily for more tips and tricks about a variety of social media.
We also offer a course on Social Networking for business, mortgage, insurance and financial professionals. For dates and locations, visit www.escomputertraining.com.
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
How to Save Time on Twitter
It can be difficult to find the time to maintain an interesting and informative Twitter account in order to obtain new followers and maintain existing ones.
With over 65 million tweets every day, Twitter can be an important tool for businesses if used effectively. Here are some tips on how you can use Twitter effectively without having to spend much of your time doing so:
1. Follow other's lists
Lists are often used to keep up with what is happening in industries you are interested in and to connect with relevant people. Sites such as "Listorious" can be used to search other people's lists by topic (for example, you could search fashion to find a large number of users relating to that industry).
Once you have found these lists, be sure to follow the accounts you find most interesting so you can receive relevant information.
2. Use Microlists
Once you start to follow more people, it can be hard to absorb all the information you receive in your Twitter feed. By creating microlists of key people to follow, you can easily stay on top of the information they are tweeting. For example, you could have a microlist just for news sources and journalists, one for businesses relating to your industry, etc. As you follow new people, you can also add them to your lists as appropriate.
3. Make Use of of Keywords and Hashtags
These features make it easy to find relevant information currently trending on Twitter. They allow you to quickly scan for content that you find interesting and would like to retweet for your followers. Also, if you use keywords and hashtags you will turn up in the searches of other users.
4. Use Existing Content
Chances are you already have a company blog and/or website. These contain lots of great content you've already researched and written about. An effective way to catch people's attention is to use quotes from the article as tweets and link back to that specific blog in the tweet.
5. Use Tools to Make Routine Processes Automatic
There are many routine activities on Twitter that can be automated. Tools can be used, such as SocialOomph, to send an automated direct message to your followers thanking them. Ping.fm lets you update various statuses (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogger, etc) at the same time from one site.
You can also develop tweets in bulk and schedule them to go out later using tools such as Hootsuite, Tweetdeck and Twaitter.
6. Share the Work
If you are a company of more than a few people, you most likely have several employees that are trustworthy enough to tweet and maintain other social networking profiles on behalf of the company. Set some ground rules, review protocol and outline what you hope to achieve with Twitter, then let them try it out. Monitor their tweets to make sure they are representing your company correctly.
7. Experiment!
Rather than spending all your time planning, start trying new things. Have your employees each write blog posts and then spend time going over them, commenting on them and promoting them. Use your time to increase your company's exposure instead of tediously planning how to do this.
Happy tweeting!
With over 65 million tweets every day, Twitter can be an important tool for businesses if used effectively. Here are some tips on how you can use Twitter effectively without having to spend much of your time doing so:
1. Follow other's lists
Lists are often used to keep up with what is happening in industries you are interested in and to connect with relevant people. Sites such as "Listorious" can be used to search other people's lists by topic (for example, you could search fashion to find a large number of users relating to that industry).
Once you have found these lists, be sure to follow the accounts you find most interesting so you can receive relevant information.
2. Use Microlists
Once you start to follow more people, it can be hard to absorb all the information you receive in your Twitter feed. By creating microlists of key people to follow, you can easily stay on top of the information they are tweeting. For example, you could have a microlist just for news sources and journalists, one for businesses relating to your industry, etc. As you follow new people, you can also add them to your lists as appropriate.
3. Make Use of of Keywords and Hashtags
These features make it easy to find relevant information currently trending on Twitter. They allow you to quickly scan for content that you find interesting and would like to retweet for your followers. Also, if you use keywords and hashtags you will turn up in the searches of other users.
4. Use Existing Content
Chances are you already have a company blog and/or website. These contain lots of great content you've already researched and written about. An effective way to catch people's attention is to use quotes from the article as tweets and link back to that specific blog in the tweet.
5. Use Tools to Make Routine Processes Automatic
There are many routine activities on Twitter that can be automated. Tools can be used, such as SocialOomph, to send an automated direct message to your followers thanking them. Ping.fm lets you update various statuses (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogger, etc) at the same time from one site.
You can also develop tweets in bulk and schedule them to go out later using tools such as Hootsuite, Tweetdeck and Twaitter.
6. Share the Work
If you are a company of more than a few people, you most likely have several employees that are trustworthy enough to tweet and maintain other social networking profiles on behalf of the company. Set some ground rules, review protocol and outline what you hope to achieve with Twitter, then let them try it out. Monitor their tweets to make sure they are representing your company correctly.
7. Experiment!
Rather than spending all your time planning, start trying new things. Have your employees each write blog posts and then spend time going over them, commenting on them and promoting them. Use your time to increase your company's exposure instead of tediously planning how to do this.
Happy tweeting!
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Essentials for a Company Social Networking Policy
With the ever increasing popularity of social networking websites, businesses are finding it difficult to adapt to employees tweeting, updating their statuses and blogging in the workplace or about the workplace. Their response has been to simply block or ban these activities, however employers are now learning that social networking can have its advantages for businesses.
Employees in the community can enhance the company's reputation as well as bring in more business, as long as social networking is used correctly. Large companies especially are encouraging their employees to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and various blogs and forums to communicate positively about their business. Some control, however, is necessary to ensure that employees are using common sense. Rules must be presented both with regard to the company's social network as well as networking outside of that if employees are identifying themselves as representatives of your business. Even if your business decides to simply ban social networking at the company level, employees may still be publishing posts, pictures, and more that could harm the reputation of your company. This is why it is important to establish a social networking policy.
Here are our five most helpful tips for establishing an effective company social networking policy:
1. A Clear Company Philosophy
You must first decide what the company's overall attitude toward social networking it is. Define the parameters of social networking use -whether you will ban it, limit the websites employees can use or give full access and encourage them to use it and incorporate it into their working time.
2. The Definition of "Social Networking"
Some social networking may not have as clear a definition as Facebook or LinkedIn. For example, would you consider it appropriate for your employees to use Flickr (a photo-sharing website), Indaba (a site musicians use to collaborate), or LiveJournal (a personal blogging site)? It is important to set well defined rules for social networking, as you may lose productivity if too many websites are being used.
3. Identifying as an Employee of the Company
It is important to define in your policy whether employees can identify on their social networking websites as employees of your company. As most social networking websites have areas in profiles for this information, this is an important parameter to define. If you do allow employees to associate with your company on their website and/or blog, ensure that you have policies clearly defining what they can and can't do and, in the case of a blog, have your employee write a disclaimer that their views do not represent the views of the company.
4. Recommending Others and Referring to Clients, Customers or Partners
Some websites, such as LinkedIn, allow members to write recommendations for other members. If your employee has identified as such on the website, it could appear that it is your company writing a recommendation for this individual. As such, businesses often include rules about such recommendations in their policies.
It is also important to ensure employees do not reference clients, customers or partners without their express permission to do so, as even a positive reference could be taken as a negative one, and also competition may be able to use it to your company's disadvantage.
5. Confidentiality, Copyright and Other Issues
Though confidentiality may seem like an obvious practice to employees, social networking sites are often informal and so confidentiality is often forgotten. Companies often forbid the sharing of company information on such sites, even in private messages. Be sure to explicitly tell employees what cannot be shared, such as financial information, intellectual property, customer information, etc.
You should also ensure that employees are aware they cannot post someone else's work without permission and that there are serious consequences to such acts as libel or defamation of character, such as lawsuits against them or even against the company itself.
Social networking can be a positive asset for companies if used correctly. Check back regularly for more helpful tips about social networking and computer use in general. We also offer courses on the subject - visit http://www.escomputertraining.com/ for full course descriptions, dates and locations.
Employees in the community can enhance the company's reputation as well as bring in more business, as long as social networking is used correctly. Large companies especially are encouraging their employees to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and various blogs and forums to communicate positively about their business. Some control, however, is necessary to ensure that employees are using common sense. Rules must be presented both with regard to the company's social network as well as networking outside of that if employees are identifying themselves as representatives of your business. Even if your business decides to simply ban social networking at the company level, employees may still be publishing posts, pictures, and more that could harm the reputation of your company. This is why it is important to establish a social networking policy.
Here are our five most helpful tips for establishing an effective company social networking policy:
1. A Clear Company Philosophy
You must first decide what the company's overall attitude toward social networking it is. Define the parameters of social networking use -whether you will ban it, limit the websites employees can use or give full access and encourage them to use it and incorporate it into their working time.
2. The Definition of "Social Networking"
Some social networking may not have as clear a definition as Facebook or LinkedIn. For example, would you consider it appropriate for your employees to use Flickr (a photo-sharing website), Indaba (a site musicians use to collaborate), or LiveJournal (a personal blogging site)? It is important to set well defined rules for social networking, as you may lose productivity if too many websites are being used.
3. Identifying as an Employee of the Company
It is important to define in your policy whether employees can identify on their social networking websites as employees of your company. As most social networking websites have areas in profiles for this information, this is an important parameter to define. If you do allow employees to associate with your company on their website and/or blog, ensure that you have policies clearly defining what they can and can't do and, in the case of a blog, have your employee write a disclaimer that their views do not represent the views of the company.
4. Recommending Others and Referring to Clients, Customers or Partners
Some websites, such as LinkedIn, allow members to write recommendations for other members. If your employee has identified as such on the website, it could appear that it is your company writing a recommendation for this individual. As such, businesses often include rules about such recommendations in their policies.
It is also important to ensure employees do not reference clients, customers or partners without their express permission to do so, as even a positive reference could be taken as a negative one, and also competition may be able to use it to your company's disadvantage.
5. Confidentiality, Copyright and Other Issues
Though confidentiality may seem like an obvious practice to employees, social networking sites are often informal and so confidentiality is often forgotten. Companies often forbid the sharing of company information on such sites, even in private messages. Be sure to explicitly tell employees what cannot be shared, such as financial information, intellectual property, customer information, etc.
You should also ensure that employees are aware they cannot post someone else's work without permission and that there are serious consequences to such acts as libel or defamation of character, such as lawsuits against them or even against the company itself.
Social networking can be a positive asset for companies if used correctly. Check back regularly for more helpful tips about social networking and computer use in general. We also offer courses on the subject - visit http://www.escomputertraining.com/ for full course descriptions, dates and locations.
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