Posts tagged social management

Social Media Marketing - The Great Return

Social media is no longer a stop-and-go investment, but rather a long term strategic channel that, when integrated with other marketing efforts, allows brands to connect with users over time.

Results of a recent survey we conducted find social media efforts valuable in their ability to grow brand awareness and increase dialogue with customers. In addition to spending more time thinking about how to engage audiences, marketers will soon begin to measure social media’s impact on the business through a more traditional ROI definition: attributable sales and costs.

Tumblr By The “Numbrs”

Tumblr is a multimedia rich microblogging platform that allows users to post text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio to their short form blog. It is about ease of use.

The numbers for this platform are too significant to ignore.

• 900% growth in the last 12 months
• 90 million users compared to only 10 million a year ago
• Addictive and highly engaged audience with 2% of its audience making up 43% of total visits

The engagement on Tumblr is only second to Facebook at an average of over 141 minutes per month per user.

Ease of use and making it simple to post images plays into a web that embraces high definition and addictive images.

Who’s Using Google+?

Google decided in 2009 that it could no longer ignore the social web as it watched Facebook warp the web into a global community of 800 million plus. On June 28, 2011  Google Plus launched and became the fastest growing social network in history reaching 25 million users in less than 30 days. It continues to grow at over 600,000 users a day and is projected to reach 400 million users by the end of 2012 according to estimates by Paul Allen.

It is now both a personal and business social network after launching Google+ brand “pages” on November 7, 2011. Google plus enhanced the visual aspect of social networks by making its images significantly larger than the photos on Facebook. Facebook has since responded with a revamp of its design that allows for much larger images in its new “Timeline” for personal profiles.

Facebook University - Enriching the College Experience

As a huge advocate of social media and educational technology, this infographic really caught my attention at how Facebook is still embraced by students who continue their education in graduate school. I firmly believe, that when used correctly, social media can truly help educators and students succeed by sharing information and developing friendly, but professional relationships.

Here is a breakdown of some information from the graphic below:

• 82% of American Universities have Facebook Pages to communicate with prospective students.
• 40% of faculty have students as friends.
• 60% of students have faculty as friends.
• More engaged students spend more time creating and RSVPing to events, commenting on posts and looking at photos.
• Active Facebook users are more likely to stay in college.

However, Facebook does have its negatives as one can see - but as I stated earlier, when used properly, the opportunity for success is there.

Facebook has changed the way college students do everything - how they make friends, date, share stories and increasingly, get an education. Facebook doesn’t taper off much at the graduate school level either - PhD students seem to be just as into social media as undergrads. Some studies say Facebook is beneficial to students while others say it’s harmful; but taken together, the research suggests it all depends on how students use it.

The Schools That Rule the Web

This is a wonderful breakdown of the Web and its impact on student achievement, and one of which I am particularly interested in…Social Media. One major thing that I have continuously heard as an educator is that US students are behind students in other countries, so I ask, “How can the US boost college students’ grades?” That is simple:

The Internet of course. Recent studies prove it - increased engagement between educators and students via email and social media has a positive effect.

Let’s take a look at some interesting facts, Princeton and Yale were two of the first universities to register for Twitter (both registering on May 1st, 2007). However, Syracuse University is the most active Twitter user with over 10,000 Tweets. And, of course, the University of Harvard has the most Facebook Likes and the most Twitter Followers - this may have a lot to do with the fact that Facebook was first embraced by the Ivy Leaguer.

While many may say that technology is a distraction, and believe me, I have worked in a school system that did not embrace educational technology - it is hard to argue against the universities from the infographic. Once again, technology does have its place in education - while some may embrace and utilize it more than others, it does not mean that students are not gaining a meaningful education. In fact, with social media, students are able to build better relationships with professors and classmates. 

Cracking Into the Social Media Career

I don’t consider myself a social media expert, however, I do feel that I am very knowledgeable about the subject - and I have helped many businesses gain exposure through various social networks. With that being said, I really enjoy my career in social media, there are many challenges and changes that one must face everyday. It has helped me gain many new connections, and re-connect with old ones. Social media is a great tool for all companies, businesses and individuals - however, to land a career in such field can be a daunting task. This infographic gives some great tips on what you can do to better your chances for a career in social media, and find out more about what companies are looking for from these positions.

It’s clear that social media interaction by businesses is here to stay. With 79% of corporations now utilizing some aspect of social media, a new era in consumer-business relationships has begun. It is the role of a company’s social strategist to manage and foster this relationship online. As this new form of communication matures, it will be the social strategists who are proactive and innovative who will excel, while those who stagnate may be replaced by automation or see their positions cannibalized.

Twitter: The Fastest-Growing Social Network

While I love Twitter, and continuously share information on the network, it may not be my favorite. LinkedIn currently has me hooked. I love the sharing of professional information, as well as, making connections with professionals of similar interests. Plus, the group feature has really drawn my interest as of late. I am not sure why I have not taken advantage of the tool sooner.

However, I am not blind of Twitter’s recent dominance. In fact, it is its quick reference that I enjoy so much. Which is probably why I enjoy LinkedIn so much, because of its Twitter connectivity. Twitter is a dominant social network with a ton of great information (if you follow the right profiles) and it is so easy to share, that I can understand its recent growth.

Twitter’s traffic growth has been tops amongst all social networks for the past three years. The site saw 32.5 million visitors in July, and is now the 34th most-visited site in the U.S., leap-frogging the stagnant LinkedIn (ranked 36th).

The ROI of Social Media

Is social media marketing effective? That’s the question being asked as more and more businesses are investing in increasing amounts of social media marketing. With no standard means of measurement, there’s a wide variety of goals and metrics used to define the ROI of social strategies. Fortunately, this enlightening infographic, developed by MDG Advertising, helps clear up the confusion by outlining the objectives, benefits and factors that affect the success of social media marketing.

Looking for a Job in Social Media

Social media is not just a trend, it is the new “website” for many businesses. I can remember when it was a big deal for businesses to have their own website, and now everyone has one. I see this trend with social media. It used to be a high priority for companies to find web masters and web designers, and now it appears many are looking for social media managers, marketers and content writers.

This infographic does a great job of breaking down some ways to get a job in social media, the only problem is that many people use social media daily and feel that they are just as qualified as the next person to do this job. It is going to be competitive, many people are looking to get into this field, the biggest thing to remember is to set yourself apart from the rest. Find ways to market yourself, especially through social media.

Job Searching with Social Media

Times are tough and many are without work. I have heard this for the past two years, but now, there is another way to handle this situation - social media. I have become a huge fan of LinkedIn, its features are tremendous for networking and connecting with professionals. In fact, most of my business is conducted through LinkedIn. I highly suggest checking into the applications that LinkedIn offers as add-ons, there are some wonderful tools there that offer chances to show your skills.

Many companies are now using social media to recruit “talent” for open positions, the only question is, are you utilizing these networks to their potential? Are you sharing relevant information on LinkedIn and Twitter? With the current economy, individuals need to think outside of the box when setting themselves apart from others - social media gives you this opportunity - take advantage.