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Top 20 Best Practices for Creating and Popularizing Content on the Social Web
Last Wednesday I attended Cision’s online Webinar “Creating Social Media Content” and I couldn’t have been more impressed by the presentation. I found that HRB is already practicing most of these strategies, but I also learned about some new online forums and tools that can take our brand and our clients’ brands to a whole new level on the Web.
Presented by two of today’s leading public relations professionals—Heidi Sullivan (@hksully), Vice President of Media Research for Cision, and Sarah Evans (@prsarahevans) of Sevans Strategy—the Webinar discussed social media strategies, tips and resources that companies should consider when promoting a brand or service.
In an effort to summarize what I’ve been learning from HRB, Webinars and other educational resources on the Web, I’ve created my own master list of the “Top 20 Best Practices for Creating and Popularizing Content on the Social Web.” The list includes social media strategies, tips and recommended resources for companies to consider when creating online content. Check it out and let me know your thoughts in the comments section or via my Twitter handle, @IowaHawkeyeMeg.
Top 20 Best Practices for Creating and Popularizing Content on the Social Web:
1 ) Every social media strategy needs to be well-planned. Ask these 4 questions before that first meeting with your coworkers and your clients:
- What’s your goal?
- Who will represent your brand on social media sites?
- When will you find time to produce content?
- How will you measure success?
2 ) Blog consistently and on a variety of topics. According to Cision’s research, there is a 2% to 4% increase in business for those companies that blog 2 to 4 times per week. The trick to write relevant and interesting posts and promote your content on a regular basis to grow your following.
3 ) When determining who should blog for your brand, choose employees that are passionate about your brand and industry. It’s counter-productive to make your employees blog if they’re not passionate about blogging, don’t keep up with news or can’t offer a fresh perspective.
4 ) Read, read, read! Knowledge is power and it’s to your advantage to stay on top of industry trends and news. Follow other bloggers’ RSS feeds in a Google Reader account and set aside 15 minutes a day to read your email subscriptions.
5 ) Be thoughtful when outsourcing your blog content. In some cases your employees are going to know your brand better than an outsider might. If you’re looking for a fresh perspective on a specific topic or Web trend, consider outsourcing the work to professionals or set up a guest blogging section on your Website to seek out knowledgeable professionals that can contribute to it. Check out the “Young Minds” guest blogging series that Lauren Fernandez of Radian6 created on her portfolio Website.
6 ) Think like a journalist! Journalists are always looking for new angles and stories to share with the world. Create headlines that are “catchy” and unique. Do your research ahead of time and make sure your blogs have no grammatical errors to avoid negative backlash in your blog’s comment section or on your page’s news feed.
7 ) Assess your goals and progress every week with Google Analytics or other social media measurement tools. Creating content for the social Web is useless if you’re not monitoring your engagement with your readers. Create a weekly Excel spreadsheet or report to present to your boss and clients to show how many fans/followers you add each week/month/year and which blogs are getting the most hits.
8 ) Create a blogroll in a sidebar list on your company or client’s main blog page. A blogroll is a list of other blogs that a blogger might recommend by providing links to them. Create a headline for the blogroll such as “Recommended Reading” and use keywords and other SEO tactics to separate and promote your blog categories.
9 ) Encourage the CEO, CMO and/or President of your company or your client’s company to contribute to blogs and engage with their audiences via social media. Learning about a company from their perspective is both critical and interesting to interns and established professionals alike. It reminds people that they’re engaging with other people (not a logo) and often provides audiences with relevant personal stories and anecdotes. To get inside the mind of HRB’s executives check out the blog pages of our CEO, Jim Thebeau and our President, Steve Erickson.
10 ) It isn’t just about blogs. Create a Twitter and Facebook account for your company and client and link to your employees’ personal accounts on these networks. Show your audience that every team member is vital to the success of your brand or campaign.
11 ) Be transparent. If you don’t hide anything from your audience they’ll be more likely to subscribe to your newsletter and follow you on social networks because they trust and appreciate your “words of wisdom.” Publish your social media policy and white papers on your Website and publicize company news and internal policy changes on your social media networks.
12 ) Listen and engage with your audience on a regular basis. If someone comments on your blog, tweet or post, respond to them right away. If other Web users see that you’re paying attention to your followers they’ll be more inclined to get involved in the conversation as well.
13 ) Acknowledge your audience. Every once in a while post a shout out to your followers, newsletter subscribers and potential customers by acknowledging how their support inspires your company and its employees to continue producing amazing content. They’ll appreciate the love and might even recommend your services to a business partner or networking contact.
14 ) The social media release (SMR) is the new press release. It’s no secret that traditional news methods are quickly being replaced by alternative news methods. The goal with the social media press release is to write for your audience AND the average Web user. Pitch to bloggers via a “Twitter pitch” or create a list of blog contacts that have been helpful in promoting a service or campaign for you in the past. As Heidi Sullivan and Sarah Evans mentioned in their presentation, “Inbound links are the currency of the blogosphere,” so make sure you’re building mutually-beneficial relationships. If a blogger picks up your social media release and repurposes the content on their blog, be sure to return the favor and mention their blog in your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn updates.
15 ) Create an “Interactive Newsroom” on your company Website. Include daily or weekly featured news, videos, blogs and photo images about your company. The example provided in the Cision Webinar was Toyota’s interactive newsroom. It features each of these things in addition to a section titled “Our Point of View” that’s written exclusively by Toyota employees and explores current issues in the automotive industry.
16 ) Keep up-to-date on educational news, language lessons, films, audio books, campus tours and more via Apple’s iTunes U. This service has been around since 2007 but I’ve never heard about it before this Webinar. Since checking it out I have to say that I’m very impressed by the content that Stanford University has put out there for use by students and average Web users. According to Wikipedia, iTunes U was “created to manage, distribute and control access to educational audio and video content and PDF files.” I agree with the Webinar hosts that this is a great resource for interns (and education industry clients) because it’s a free service that includes over 75,000 files for users’ upload or download purposes.
17 ) The rule of thirds: It’s not all about YOU. As my internship supervisor likes to remind me, nobody wakes up in the morning expecting to get an email from you. It’s important to realize the value in creating online content but equally necessary to know your limits. If you have a Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account, spend about 1/3 of your time posting information about your company, 1/3 of the time posting information about your clients and the remaining third of your time acknowledging others on the social Web (what the friendly Cision hosts referred to as “social karma”). Don’t walk around handing out your business card—instead, find out what your audiences’ and followers’ interests and jobs are. You should be entertaining your audiences but also engaging with your followers as these groups are collectively responsible for the success of your social media handle.
18 ) Aggregate! Create a “top 10 list” every once in a while to show your readers you’re paying attending to other writers in the blogosphere. After all, you’re not a robot!
19 ) Got a case of the “blogger blues?” Don’t fret! There will be days that you’re stuck and can’t find the words to write what’s really on your mind. (It happens to me all the time!) If you’re on deadline consult with your supervisor for new ideas or ask a coworker to switch blog days with you. It’s always better to wait and produce inspiring content rather than bore your readers.
20 ) Remember: Social media is a marathon, not a sprint! If you’re not seeing results in weekly analytic reports, try something new. There is no “correct way” to create and popularize content on the social Web but there are definitely promotional strategies that have grown companies and brands in huge ways. Dare to experiment!
Although this was only the second Webinar I’ve ever attended, I’m quickly learning that virtual tutorials are extremely useful resources. As an intern I always have questions and sometimes I find that my lack of knowledge about the media, the brand I’m representing or the audience(s) I’m reaching out to slows me down and prevents me from meeting deadlines. While this can sometimes be inevitable, I’ve realized that having solid research skills is critical in this industry—especially with the non-stop changes in progressive enhancement and the diversity of Web services offered today. I’m comforted by the fact that there are real people behind those usernames. I know if I continue to be proactive and seek out resources that help me master my shortcomings I can stay ahead of technology trends and promote HRB and its clients in unique and purposeful ways.
Megan Jasin
Public Relations Intern
Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meganjasin
Extra! Extra! This Week’s Interesting Marketing Stories for CEOs and CMOs!
If you have an interest in sales and marketing, this post is for you. At HRB we’re constantly monitoring advertising, strategic planning, research and public relations trends that are driven by new software automation tools, unique bundling packages and social media marketing contests. Check out these stories and let us know your thoughts in the comments section or on the HRB Facebook page.
FTC Looks at Opt Out Option for Behavioral Targeting
If you have not been following the discussions surrounding online behavioral targeting and the resulting data gathering on individuals, you may want to start. Whether you are using behavioral targeting as a marketing technique or you are a consumer, you could be affected.
According to MediaPost, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is considering a “do not track” list to address Internet advertising privacy concerns, similar to the Do Not Call Registry pertaining to telephone solicitations. To learn more about behavioral targeting visit the FTC’s Wikipedia page.
What Are America’s Favorite News Sources?
As a former journalist, I find the rapid changes in news consumption habits fascinating. Of course, age, technology and access all play a role in how we get our news.
According to a new study by Gather, Inc., individuals are increasingly turning to the Internet to find, receive, share and discuss news. The report reveals trends in how people are receiving and interacting with various Internet news outlets and starting millions of conversations across America.
For instance, a whopping 53% of people still cite newspapers as their main source of news, although 65% of respondents younger than 25 years old described their news habits as interest-based, only reading about breaking news stories or stories of interest. 70% of respondents in this age group turn to the Internet to learn more about a breaking news story and share information with others via social networks.
Marketers Increasingly Seeking Online Tracking Metrics
Marketers are slowly but consistently moving more of their marketing budgets from traditional to online sources. And, the more they spend on SEO and social media marketing, the more they want to measure ROI.
The Forbes Insights and software and analytics firm MarketShare Partners reveal that marketers and agencies continue to struggle with finding the metrics to justify dollars spent on online campaigns.
Strategic Growth Planning for Business and Marketing Success
Ever wonder why some companies turn everything they touch into gold while others struggle to capture great market share? Why marketing doesn’t work with sales?
These questions keep CEOs from sleeping at night. It takes guts and experience to bring accurate, honest analysis and advice to today’s company executives. When it comes to growing a business, most companies struggle to find just the right balance of all the right growth ingredients.
Download the HRB GROWTH brochure and perhaps you’ll see how the “domino effect” can work for your brand.
Can the iPad Slow Newspaper and Magazine Readership?
Earlier this year, just as the iPad was being launched, BtoB Magazine carried a front page story about the possible effects the Apple iPad could have on reviving the ailing print media industry. For one thing, with its vertically-oriented color screen that mimics the size of a single magazine page, the iPad is seen in some circles as an ideal device for reading digital versions of print publications.
“We feel it’s an exciting, new, major media platform, and it can’t be ignored,” said Jason Snell, Editor of IDG’s Macworld, which is currently developing an iPad application.
Jim Thebeau
Partner/CEO
Follow me on Twitter @JimThebeau
Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jimthebeau
What Makes Apple’s Mobile Ad Platform Different
The iPhoneTM 4 has been out for over a month now. At that time, there was also a software update for older iPhones and iPodTM touches that added many features that were new on the iPhone 4. Part of the software update was the ability for app developers to display ads served up by Apple’sTM “iAd” platform. With the popularity of free applications that people download on a whim comes the desire for developers to monetize them to pay for their initial development costs and support further development.
The advertising model has now been brought into free apps, and it’s like a traditional Website that is mostly, if not entirely, supported by advertising. Apple’s iAd platform isn’t the first to offer developers the opportunity to include ads in their apps, but they do it a little differently.
The traditional electronic ad is either text, an image or a brief animation that, when clicked, will take you directly to the advertiser’s Website. iAd recognizes that most mobile devices either don’t support Flash or have a limited mobile edition of Flash so the common animated Flash ad isn’t possible. People often quote the statistic provided by Adobe that 96% of Web browsers have Flash installed, but that figure is actually representative of the percentage of Web browsers that are capable of running Flash and have it installed. That means it’s excluding millions of devices that have a Web browser that can’t run Flash, even if the device owner wanted to (this includes Apple’s mobile devices among many others).
Connect with HRB:
iAd instead focuses on the fact that 100% of all Web browsers have HTML support. Plus, all of the devices that iAd will be shown on also have CSS and JavaScript support for animation and interactivity. This method allows advertisers to show the full ad experience via CSS and JavaScript on all devices by default and shows the static version of the ad if they set JavaScript to be disabled. Using Flash will instead be shown as a blank block and will require the Flash plugin to show anything at all or requires the developer to also build the HTML version. This begs the question of, “Why not build the HTML version in the first place?” Ads haven’t been using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript until now due to the fact that CSS and JavaScript-based animations were introduced recently so Flash was the only option available to advertising / Website designers.
Click to view full size. Created by blog.monty.de
iAd’s extended ad view does include some new functionality that other ad services don’t offer. The ads expand within the current application when they’re tapped on instead of opening a Website in your Web browser. The ads are self-contained so that everything the advertiser wants to be shown can be included within the interactive ad, and can be closed at any time using a close button that is located in the same place for every ad. The expanded ad also has the ability to:
- Allow the user to submit a form (register for a giveaway / sign up to a newsletter)
- Download or purchase something from the App Store (purchase the full product / download a companion app)
- Save media to the device (wallpapers / videos)
- Access the camera (scan a barcode in a store / take a picture of yourself using the product)
- Integrate into other web services (social media / the product’s website)
- and more…
There’s the potential for a malicious advertiser to exploit some of these features or be a security risk but Apple is requiring each ad to be inspected and approved before being displayed. When iAd was announced, Apple brought up that finding a way to keep the advertising interactive while maintaining an emotional tone was very important to making this form of advertising engaging and effective. This is just another option that’s available to advertisers and developers alike and seems like a promising idea if used properly.
Kurt Zenisek
Web Developer
Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kzeni
Working Hard or Hardly Working: How Socializing on the Job Can Boost Sales
It is no secret that the creative industry is fast-paced and full of thrills, but let’s be honest: at times, it can also err on the side of exhausting. It’s challenging to stream creativity on demand, let alone hammer out original, brilliant concepts day after day.
Of course, it always helps to surround yourself with inspirational assortments like books, magazines and nifty mailers (I’ve caught onto the trend set by my fellow Creatives, marked by a sizable stack of these things on my desk). Sometimes, though, a fun diversion in the workplace is a necessary way to boost morale and productivity. Now that I’ve worked in creative internships throughout Iowa and Europe I’ve realized a noticeable difference between the pace of work in the states versus abroad. But despite the differences in culture and time zones, I noticed that all the companies I worked for shared an important fundamental quality: the ability to balance work and play.
In England and many places throughout Europe tasks are completed in a more relaxed, leisurely manner. There are breaks for tea or coffee several times throughout the day, lunch isn’t consumed while hunched over a keyboard and a noticeable amount of effort is put into socializing with clients and colleagues during business hours. Work is a top priority among Europeans but it’s certainly not regarded as a “be-all, end-all” indication of a person’s success in life.
On the contrary, office culture in America is more spontaneous, industrious and deadline-driven. Emails are answered promptly—usually within 15 minutes if not a couple of hours after landing in someone’s inbox. It’s common and encouraged for employees to work 40+ hours per week (especially in today’s economy) and most people don’t take more than a couple weeks of vacation time per year. The dull moments are numbered because you’re immersed in multiple projects. The days breeze by and you generally leave work feeling rather accomplished.
Still, I wonder: Are Americans driven by their own personal business goals? And how do they continuously manage to invest so much time and energy into their careers without growing exhausted?
I’m not sure I have an answer to that question, but I do know the HRB staff is one hardworking group of professionals. Every day they participate in countless meetings and relentlessly pick each others’ brains for fresh approaches to advertising, media and public relations concepts. They’re not always happy with a final design, timeline or budget but they always put their best foot forward and do it with a smile. Between those conference calls and long hours stationed in front of the computer screen witty banter is almost a necessity. On most days witty banter can be heard across the office, and on occasion, a speeding race car or life-size palm tree can be seen weaving in and out of cubicles—usually tailed by the honorary office dog, Alex (courtesy of Steve Erickson).
Aside from the superb experience that I’m getting as an intern, I look forward to coming into work largely because of my company’s good-natured people and fun creative environment. There’s no telling what diversion might zoom into my cubicle next, but when it does, it’s sure to be greeted with a hearty laugh and lifted mood.
Allison Maze
Creative Intern
Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/allisonmaze
Mobile Marketing and Leading the Duck
I was sitting in the duck blind just north of Clinton, Iowa about 30 years ago. I had my shotgun gripped tightly with the safety on. The ducks were flying right toward our decoys in a path that would lead them within 30 yards of our blind. I was ready to shoot my first bird and take my place as one of the great American hunters of our time. When the ducks were in range, my dad said, “Now!” I quickly pointed my shotgun at the ducks and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. I pointed again and pulled the trigger again. Nothing… the ducks were now out of range. My dad sat there smiling at me and patted me on the back. “Son, you have to remember to flip the safety off before you pull the trigger.” A little embarrassed, I rolled my eyes at myself and slouched back down in blind.
A couple of hours later, the same situation presented itself again. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. The ducks flew within range and my dad said, “Now!” I quickly point the gun, flipped the safety off, and pulled the trigger. I missed. I pointed again, and pulled the trigger again. I missed a second time. The ducks flew out of range.
Frustrated, I looked over at my dad who sat there smiling once again. He said, “Son, in order to shoot a duck you have to aim ahead of them. If you aim directly at them, you’ll always miss because your BB’s will end up where the duck WAS rather than where it IS. You have to lead the duck.”
There were no more chances that day, but I learned three lessons I’ll never forget.
1. To be successful, you have to turn off the safety before you pull the trigger.
2. You have to lead the duck. You can’t shoot for where your target is today, you have to aim where they are going.
3. My dad couldn’t do it for me. In order to be successful, I had to learn the mechanics and pull the trigger myself.
Hopefully, you’ve spent the last few years leading the duck. If you have, then here’s where you should be:
- You should have an effective website design that turns a percentage of visitors into new business opportunities or sales.
- You should have a blog or news section that keeps your audience informed and positions you as an expert in your industry.
- You should have a social media marketing presence that delivers your message where and how your audience wants to receive it.
- You should have an email marketing process and system in place that is very easy to maintain and predictable for your audience.
In a recent speech, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said, “Mobile is the hottest area of computer technology…The smartest developers now are writing apps for mobile devices before they write for Windows or Apple Mac desktop operating systems.”
Have you started to think about how you can make the best use of mobile technology to offer a new service or to better communicate with your audience, or are you still sitting with your safety on and pointing your gun at the duck?
My dad was an amazing duck hunter. I can’t remember a time he pulled the trigger and didn’t hit his target. He had the mechanics down pat. He was patient, but he was also very decisive and accurate when the time came. I would encourage everyone to be a little more like my dad. Be patient, but know when and how to be decisive and accurate. Make sure you have the pieces in place, and start thinking about pulling the trigger on your mobile marketing plan.
Jeff McEachron
Senior Vice President
Director, Internet Operations
Follow me on Twitter @Jeff_McEachron
Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmceachron
