1/3 of the world uses social networks regularly. Let’s work together to get your business up to speed.

DayngrZone Media

Digital Marketing, Advertising and Design in Eastern North Carolina

Enroll Now! Discover New Ways to Market Your Business

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Click to Enroll!

 

The Social Media Marketing Society is an exclusive membership community from Social Media Examiner. The purpose of the Society is to help you discover new ideas, avoid trial and error, implement the newest social tactics and find what works best with social media marketing.

When you join the Social Media Marketing Society, you’ll receive three original training sessions each month that are timely, tactical and expert-led. This means that you’ll have the ongoing training you need to implement all the latest social media marketing tactics that matter. Plus, you’ll be able to network with business owners just like you.

Society-Screenshot

You won’t need to wonder how your peers are tackling the same struggles you are. With the Society, you can easily connect with other business owners and marketers, share experiences and support one another. Here’s the cool part – everything takes place online!  It was created to be simple and accessible for busy business owners like you. You can attend the training sessions and interact with other marketers from the comfort of your office chair – wherever you are in the world!

Go here to learn more: Social Media Marketing Society. Enrollment is only open for a limited time. Doors close June 30th and won’t open again until 2016.

 

5 Tips for Connecting Social Media to Your Business Goals

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the number fiveInterested in connecting social media to your business goals? Consider these 5 tips:

1. Understand the social landscape before jumping in. Early listening can help you develop the process required for engaging. This will also help you understand your staffing needs and tools/platforms required. You can set your goals from there.

2. Develop a measurement framework that relates to business objectives. Align with what your Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is reporting to the CEO, for instance, return on investment (ROI).

3. Put the customer at the center of everything you do. If you think of social media as one of the best ways to bring together the voice of the customer with the voice of your company, then this doesn’t seem so unattainable. Putting customers first should be one of your top business goals, and social media can help.

4. Create a playbook, a guideline for your social media front line. This is especially important at the beginning, as your social media responders may just be engaging on a part-time basis. Having predetermined escalation paths and suggested responses can help simplify this process as employees respond to only the highest profile comments and complaints. This ensures your customer service goals are met with social media at the forefront.

5. Companies need content to tell their stories. It’s the core of what the outside world sees. 54% of B2B marketers plan to increase their spend in content marketing this year, according to CMI and Marketing Profs. Are you one of them? As you create compelling content, you’ll increase page views, clicks, and even close deals.

How are you connecting social media to your business goals? Let us know in the comments below! 

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You’ve Got to THINK When it Comes to Social Strategy

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Think Acronym

You’ve heard it a thousand times – sharing is caring, and when it comes to social media – it’s true. Make creating and sharing content a big part of your social strategy. What should you create and share? Let the acronym THINK be your guide.

T

Create and share content your community will find thoughtful and thought-provoking. Ask questions. Get their minds racing and show them that their opinions matter.

H

Create and share content that your community will find helpful. It could be information directly related to your industry – How To’s,  FAQs or tips.

I

Create and share interesting and/or innovative content. Remember, it doesn’t always have to be brand related, maybe it’s a cause that’s near and dear to your heart.

N

Create and share the things your customers and prospects need. Discount codes, coupons or even information – share whatever it is that your brand’s community would find beneficial.

K

Most importantly, share your knowledge. From webinars to whitepapers and everything in between, share your brand and industry related  knowledge with your community.

THINK

If you want to be the brand people look to for great finds, creating and sharing great content must be a key factor in your social strategy. Remember, fight the urge to give customers and prospects the messages YOU want to share. You’ll do better by giving them content they can use to make their lives/jobs easier. They’ll love you for it. Build this into your overall social media plan and let THINK be your guide.

What acronyms would you come up with to help brands be more relatable? What advice would you offer to organizations looking to use social media to solidify their customer relationships? Add your thoughts in the comments.

Build Your Social Network and Get More Followers Now!

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All Hands InIt’s not a gimmick. If you’re looking to build your social network, start a community and get more followers now, there are a few simple things you’ll need to know and a few steps you’ll want to follow. Try these 3 tips today.

Be a Part of the Conversation

Start talking! Join conversations because you’re interested in the subject matter or because you have something beneficial to add – not because you have an agenda or want to push your material. Use social media monitoring to find relevant conversations or industry chats and add them to your weekly schedule as you would a business meeting. Follow the people you find sharing the most beneficial information, and keep the conversations going. Do this regularly and you’ll start connecting immediately with others who have the same interests you do.

Become a Regular

In other words, make social networking a part of your daily routine. Make it a habit to come online at the same time every day and say hello when you do. It’s a nice way to start your daily time online and encourage conversation. It’s also a great idea to let people know when you’re heading offline since no one likes to be left hanging in the middle of a conversation. If you do this consistently, your community will come to know when they can expect you to be available.

Be a Connector, Make Introductions

Connecting people together is a great way to be social online. Take the time to introduce like-minded individuals and help others build their networks. When you help connect others, you’ll get the same in return. Facebook has a nice “Suggest Friend” feature, but since the feature doesn’t allow you to indicate why you’re suggesting these people connect, you’ll want to send a short email introduction to help facilitate the connection. You can do this just as easily on LinkedIn and Twitter, too.

Suggest Friends

Don’t forget good old-fashioned (yet, still in style) email. For example, you can use email to connect two or more like-minded individuals by leading with something they have in common, as a conversation starter for them. Like this, “Bob, I’d like you to meet Joan. You both work in the non-profit sector and have an interest in using social media for causes. I think the two of you will have plenty of ideas to share with each other.”

Just remember, if you are going to use email for introductions, be sure that you have permission to share the email addresses of the people you are connecting. These days, sharing an email address is like giving out a telephone number. Be sure both parties are on-board before you share.

If you enjoyed this post, I’ve got three more tips on how to grow your social network in this post: 3 Simple Tips for Building Your Social Network Now

What tips would you offer to help businesses and individuals grow their social networks? Is your social network large or small? What are some of your favorite resources for cultivating a community?

3 Simple Tips for Building Your Social Network Now

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Having a thriving, socially engaged community takes time and plenty of work, but it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you imagined. Here are 3 tips for building your social network that you can begin today –

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1 – Don’t Be Shy

Building your social network online is similar to building it offline. Start by introducing yourself. Anytime you friend, follow or engage with people who may not know you, or know you well, introduce yourself and share some basics like who you are and where you’re from.

If you are connecting for business purposes, be clear about that and add what you do. If you are connecting on a personal level add a little about the interests you share. Introducing yourself helps to break the ice and open the door to conversation and conversations are the building blocks of a great community.

Don’t forget to ask for introductions, too. As your network grows, there will be people who can help you find the communities you’re looking to join and guide people to your budding community as well. For example, if you’re planning an event in a new city, you can use your network to help you connect with people in the area. Ask for suggestions on which people you should follow and what blogs you should be reading. Then it’s up to you to follow through, reach out and make connections.

2 – Be Polite

Being professional and polite goes a long way, so don’t forget your manners. If you want to share content, ask politely. If someone has shared yours, be sure to thank them whenever possible. True, you may not be able to respond to every comment on your blog or Facebook page, but you can take a moment to respond to a few and perhaps make a general statement thanking everyone who took the time to share.

But, don’t limit yourself to saying thank you only to people sharing your content. If someone takes the time to share their thoughts with you, then take a moment to show your gratitude. Thank them for it and, if time permits, start a conversation. Stop by their blog and leave a comment on the articles that resonate with you. Share their content when appropriate. In other words, take it a step further and make an effort to take an interest in the people who have taken an interest in you, whenever possible.

3 – Break Away from Cliques

If your social circle online is a large one, there are probably people in it that you don’t know as well as others. Maybe even a few you don’t know at all. Review your friends/follower lists frequently. Set some time aside each week to manage your following/follower ratio. It’s alright to step outside your comfort zone and expand your horizons when it comes to connecting. Not everyone you connect with has to be like-minded. Diversity breeds inspiration.

Be sure you’re reaching out to people you haven’t connected with yet, rather than just communicating with the same select few. Invite new followers/friends to reach out to you regularly and make it easy for them by sharing the best ways they can connect with you. Do the same for those whom you haven’t had chance to communicate with for a while. When you do, you will make your new followers and old friends feel welcome and valued.

What are some of your favorite ways to cultivate community? What tips would you offer to help organizations grow their social networks? Liked this article? Be sure to grab the FREE ebook: Social Media Etiquette – Minding Your Manners on the Social Web and subscribe to this site.