Posts Tagged ‘social networking’

Google+ Shakes Up Social Media

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

A couple of months ago, we posted an article on Google’s new +1 button that gave registered users a way to put their stamp of approval on webpages and share their “likes” with their social circle within Google, meaning other registered users to whom they were connected. Now Google has made that social circle official and created a custom social network known as, Google+.

 

Although it’s not yet available to everyone, Google+ is already shaking up the social media world. Google proclaims that, “online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And [they] aim to fix it.” From what we can tell so far, it looks like they just might be able to do it.

 

The problem with online sharing, according to Google, is that you don’t have a lot of control over what you share with whom. Social media networks like Twitter and Facebook neglect to provide ways to discreetly share your updates, photos, Tweets and the like with specific members of your online community, or control what those folks choose to re-share with others. In general, you either share with everybody or you don’t share at all.

 

Google+ provides an easy filing system within your social community and allows you to separate your contacts into groups known as +Circles. You can make one for your family, one for your close friends and a separate one specifically for business contacts. That way you don’t have to worry about censoring your status updates or having your clients stumble across those photos from your college trip to Amsterdam. You get to choose what to share with whom at all levels of your interaction, which will eliminate the need for multiple accounts within one social media community.

 

Google+’s field trial has just started, so unless you’ve received an invitation from one of your contacts, you may have to wait a bit to test it out. However, with the features and options that Google is promising – +Sparks customized information feed,  +Hangouts face-to-face interactions, +Huddle group messaging, and more – we’re pretty sure it’s going to be worth the wait.

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Google +1 Button Adds a Side of Social Networking to Searches

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

Google’s soon-to-be-launched +1 button (spoken as, “plus one”) is “digital shorthand for ‘this is pretty cool,’” and is the company’s latest advancement for supplying their users with the most relevant search results possible.

The way it works is a lot like Facebook’s “Like” button. As registered Google users conduct a search, they will have the option to click a +1 button next to the individual results to show their social circle that they approve or recommend that particular link. Users will also have the capability to view and manage their +1’s in their Google Account.

Recently, you may have noticed that Google has been incorporating data from your social contacts in search results by including information on, for example, what your friends have shared in Twitter. Well, the +1 button takes that a step further by removing the middleman and allowing users to make recommendations to friends and contacts right in the search engine itself.

Once a Google user clicks a +1 next to a website or ad, it will then become visible to members of their social circle within Google (chat buddies, email contacts and so forth), and the user will be able to see their circle’s +1’s as well.

As Google’s blog states: The beauty of +1’s is their relevance – you get the right recommendations (because they come from people who matter to you), at the right time (when you are actually looking for information about that topic) and in the right format (your search results).

The +1 promises to add a whole new dimension to web recommendations in that it will give users the benefit of knowing exactly who they’re coming from. +1 is also good news for Google Ad users since it provides yet another avenue where word of mouth can boost the success of search campaigns.

Although it’s still in experimental stage, you can check out the new +1 button and see how it works at www.google.com/experimental.

 

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Show Employees The Way To Play The Social Media Game

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Training executives for promoting their business via social media outlets is becoming a huge focus for many companies. Social networking communities hold great potential for marketing, branding and building your company image. In fact, many companies are hiring employees expressly to manage their social networking media for them.

As this popularity grows and more and more people turn to social networking communities as a top vehicle for communication and information, it’s vital that businesses become involved in them and use the potential of the interaction within those networks. Part of that involves training your employees on how to promote themselves and your company through social media, and how to keep their communities in check while making sure to not blur the lines between business and personal networks.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

  • Make sure that your employees are savvy in social networking. Introduce them to the top three networks and give them brief rundowns on how each works.
  • Take care to warn them about mixing business with pleasure. For example, your customers shouldn’t be given access to your employees’ photos of their beer chugging adventure at Oktoberfest.
  • Help your workers get their professional accounts started by providing examples of appropriate profiles.
  • Give your employees samples of suitable status updates they can use on their accounts to promote your business.
  • Create a series of Tweets for employees to send out with links to your website.

With 90 million users on LinkedIn, 175 million on Twitter, and over 500 million on Facebook, social networks are insanely popular and are becoming a top resource for businesses from every industry across the board. In the past few years, the widespread use of these communities has changed the face of business and people are including their LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter links in their email signatures, on their websites and even on their business cards.

By making sure your company and your employees are well versed in the social media game, you stay current in the online conversation and up-to-date in the ever expanding world of social media marketing.

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The Advantages of Social Networking Marketing

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

It seems like everyone these days is obsessed with social media. Through Facebook updates and Twitter tweets, you can keep tabs on what almost anyone is doing or feeling or thinking at anytime of the day. And, if you’re active with your accounts, they can keep track of your thoughts and ideas as well, which is why your business absolutely must have profiles with regular updates in both of these communities.

Rather than selling products, the goal of social media marketing is to create a relationship with your clients that is more than simply buyer-seller based. It’s different than traditional methods of advertising and promoting your business in that you can get to know your clientele and learn how you can further accommodate their needs. You can also show them that you care about those needs and are in business for reasons other than just making money.

You should know that effective social media marketing is not something that’s going to happen overnight. Patience and dedication are key and regular, consistent posts on both of your accounts are essential for becoming part of the online conversation.  While the occasional tweet or Facebook update can offer a discount on your product or advertise a sale, you should keep the majority of your content focused on adding value for your clientele with things like providing helpful hints or tips.

The point is to create an authentic persona for your business. People like dealing with people, and social media marketing is a way to remind your clientele that your business is more than just a shopping cart on a website.

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Increase Your Online Presence with Social Networking

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Okay, so no one is promising that having an active business profile on social networks is going to get you as much exposure as an ad during the Super Bowl or as much return as a full-page spread in the New York Times. However. It will get you an expanded contact list, increase your presence and notoriety in your market’s online conversation and keep your business in front of your friends (Facebook), followers (Twitter) and contacts (Linked-In).

These days, social networking is more than an online frivolity; it’s a way of life. People take their online images very seriously and spend a lot of time updating and maintaining their profiles. For a lot of folks, Facebook has become their primary form of communication. Social networks are also quickly becoming many people’s go-to for information like what the best restaurant in Toledo is or where to find the coolest wedding dress designer in Dallas. They even refer to Twitter or Linked-In to find the best (fill in your business) in all of (fill in your locale).

Participating in networking communities is a great way to put yourself in the online conversation happening in your market. On Twitter, follow people who have similar businesses as yours and invite people to follow you. Send regular tweets with helpful hints or valuable tips in your area of expertise. That way you can establish credibility while keeping your name at the forefront of your followers’ minds.  It’s also okay to mention the occasional sale or product launch, just remember that nothing warrants an “unfollow” like being bombarded by marketing messages.

Through Facebook you can set up a page for your business and invite your clients to become fans; searching by location, age or interest, you can find other people in your target market and invite them as well. Once you’ve got fans, you’ve got an easy way to keep them up-to-date on all the latest happenings in your company and yet another vehicle for keeping in touch and reminding them that your services are available when they’re ready for them.

Then of course there’s LinkedIn, the number one online professional networking community. With your LinkedIn profile you can maintain contact with past business associates and develop relationships with new ones. You can also join groups with similar interests to connect to peers in your arena. By participating in their online conversations, you create a name and a presence for yourself all while expanding your reach to more and more potential clients.

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