Angela Crocker

Write. Teach. Organize.

Do you make it easy to connect?

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Any efforts using social media tools should be an integrated part of your overall marketing campaign including offline things like signage, posters and ads. One of the most common mistakes I see is companies announcing their presence on Facebook or Twitter by including these familiar icons but failing to be specific. Here’s an example of what not to do:

This advertiser wants to engage with customers through these social networks yet they expect the customer to do all the work. Why should they go to the trouble of searching for your brand? The reality is that people don’t do that. Worse still, if your brand name is similar to another company’s then you may drive traffic to those accounts. A better way to handle it is like this:

Muskoka Woods Example

Muskoka Woods included this information as part of a full page ad in the April 2011 issue of Canadian Family magazine.

This is exactly the right thing to do. The ad shows the child-friendly summer fun that Muskoka Woods wants to exude about their camp yet makes it easy for busy parents (and kids!) to receive further information in the way that works for them. Type in a brief URL and they connect to the company’s social network on Twitter or Facebook in no time.

So, how are you making it easy to connect?

Social Media Takes Too Much Time!

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Does this sound familiar?

  • Social Media takes too much time
  • I’ve got too many things on my to-do list already.
  • I haven’t got time to waste.

A well planned social media strategy will only use a limited number of tools. Sure, you’ll have to invest a bit more time at first to set up your accounts and learn how to use them but I always advise adding one social network at a time. Once you’re up to speed a few minutes a day should be all that’s required.

During those few minutes I encourage you to make these actions your priority:

  • Check for private messages addressed to you and respond.
  • Look for mentions of your brand (@mentions on Twitter for example) and reply, as appropriate.
  • Read some of the newsfeed to keep up with what’s happening. Like, comment and retweet as you see fit.
  • Share one or two pieces of new content,  it can be referenced content or original content.

Of course, as your social graph (your community of friends, fans and followers) grows and you start to experience the value in direct interaction with prospects and customers you may want to invest more time.  This is a good thing! You want people to be interested in all you have to say and their interest gives you permission to get to know them, too.

Did you like this article? Sign up for my Social Media Minute Newsletter, you’ll get access to these kinds of tips every week!

Offensive or Sexist Posts: What to Do?

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Heather Kleim from Epic Empire Designs asks:

If someone you follow posts something incredibly offensive & sexist, do you comment? One of the people I follow (a Vancouver news-type tweeter, talking about events and buzz in the city) posted something that infuriated me and was incredibly offensive to women. I emotionally reacted and replied with ‘how to get someone to unfollow you in 1 tweet’ and unfollowed them. Advice or feedback?

Used under Creative Commons License

Thanks for the question, Heather.  I’m sure many folks struggle with that.  Should you put up with offensive, sexist or rude remarks?  I say no.  At the same time, I don’t think it’s worth highlighting  them by giving them any public attention. So, I suggest you simple ignore the comment and unfriend, block or unfollow the offender as appropriate. Call your best friend if you need to vent your frustration but don’t do it in public.

There are, of course, exceptions to this rule.  In some cases, you may want to rise to the defense of  the insulted group, person or brand.  It is much more powerful to have a group of folks outraged by an offensive, sexist or rude comment all taking issue with the offender.  It takes courage to be the first person to speak up and if you’re willing to take the lead on something you feel strongly about then please don’t hesitate. Sometimes, adding your voice of reason is essential for moral justice. 

However, if you are a business owner or in any way a public figure, you must decide to respond in public or in private with your brand in mind. Does the stance you want to take align with your corporate values?  If it doesn’t you risk confusing your clients with content that’s contrary to your mission.  Two areas of particular concern are religion and politics. I always advise keeping these offline as part of your private self.  I’m sure you and your customers can agree that everyone’s entitled to an opinion but that private opinions should stay private so you can get on with the business at hand.

And to help rude-proof the rest of us, I suggest taking CNN’s Andrea Bartz and Brenna Ehrlich’s pledge to avoid digital mistakes in 2011.

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