Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Author: Bridget Willard

  • The Value of Your Online Ambassador (Why It “Costs” So Much)

    Social media managers are your digital ambassadors. That’s why it costs so much. You’re asking them to be you and speak on your behalf.

    You’re a small business owner thinking you need to be on social media, not totally convinced of its worth (yet), but you know you need it. You may even realize you need help.

    So, you find and contact a social media manager and get a quote. But now you’re in a coma because you had an entirely different expectation of the cost.

    You think, “It’s just Facebook? Why is it so expensive?”

    Just like in any line of work, there are people with experience and people who tell a good story. In my experience, I’ve run into very few truly good social media managers. I am very picky on who I will refer when I’m asked to take on an account.

    Some thoughts:

    1. You don’t have time for social media. This is why you’ve sought help in the first place.  How much is your time worth?
    2. You don’t have the skills needed (yet) do do social media yourself. How much is it worth to you to get the accounts going?
    3. A good social media manager needs to brainstorm with you and come up with an overall strategy and ideas on how to tactically achieve that goal. Some people are naturals.
    4. A good social media manager shouldn’t be afraid to try new things, use humor, yet show discretion. This usually comes with age and experience.
    5. Many times social media managers are not permitted (because of non-disclosure agreements) to reveal their clients. Look at their Twitter and Facebook accounts.
      1. Is their account alive?  For example, when’s the last time they tweeted?
      2. Are they polite? Do they thank people? Do they retweet others? Do they respond to comments on their own brand’s Facebook Page?  This is known as “engagement” in the industry and “being a human being” in real life.
      3. Does their account feel professional to you. Read a sampling of the posts.
      4. Do they use proper grammar? Do they make a lot of spelling mistakes or overly rely on texting syntax?
      5. The truth is that you do what you practice.  If their own brand isn’t done well, then why would you think they’d do a better job on yours?
    6. A social media manager is your brand ambassador. They act in your place, as if they were you, online. This includes customer service, relationship building, passive (or active) lead generation, and public relations.
    7. When they meet you do they push their own agenda or have ideas that will specifically help your type of business? The truth is not everyone should be on Pinterest, for example. But if it’s good for your industry, you want to make sure the social media manager is competent on that platform.

    When you consider these factors, is the price they quoted to you really too high?

    If the price is still totally out of your reach, then start teaching yourself. Although, many of the people I refer offer scaled plans or coaching sessions to get you started. Additionally, have a list of “required reading” as well as my own “how to” posts scattered throughout my blog.

    There is a Chinese Proverb that says,

    “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”

    Your competition is online. What’s holding you back?

    rawpixel.com

  • Want Friends? Be A Friend. My Go-To Social Media Advice

    If you want to have friends, be a friend. Give without expecting. That’s how you rock social media. It’s really just that simple.

    If you want to have friends, be a friend

    Social media, by its very nomenclature, is social.  For a relationship to exist there needs to be reciprocity.

    Do you have a Facebook Page? Log in as your page and like other pages.

    Do you have friends on Facebook, blogs you read, friends on Instagram? Spend some time reading and commenting on other posts and photos.

    Why comment when you can just “like” a post?

    In many ways, clicking “like” is akin to seeing a friend across a room and smiling and waving.

    There’s nothing wrong with it; it’s rather pleasant.

    But you won’t grow your relationship unless you start talking to each other. In fact, the other person may even come to resent or just ignore you.

    That’s where commenting comes in.

    Why not just try it?  What could you possibly lose? I believe that you’ll notice a spike in activity as a natural, organic result of “friendly” behavior.

    Guru Lesson: If you want friends, you have to be a friend.

     

  • What are Hashtags And How Do I Use Them?

    You keep seeing the pound sign (#) and hearing people talk about hashtags. What are they and how do you effectively use a hashtag?

    But let’s start with this video below. Stop using stupid hashtags just because you keep seeing other people use stupid hashtags.

    Stop Using Stupid Hashtags

    What is a hashtag?

    The short answer to what is a hashtag is that it is a word or a phrase with the pound sign in front of it used for search and filtering on social media. There. you can stop reading the post now.

    This makes any term (without spaces or punctuation) searchable on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

    On Twitter you can use numbers in a hashtag like #Year2012 but the hashtag can’t only be a number like #2012.

    Although hashtags generally function on Facebook and LinkedIn now, they are only relevant if the audience actually clicks on them.

    They’re generally only seen there from cross/auto-posts. However, since they bought Instagram, there is an infusion of hashtags and I read rumors they’ll be usable in the future.

    Why would you use a hashtag?

    It helps give you exposure on Twitter by making terms searchable outside of your following.

  • Ten Ways to Be Retweetable

    If You Want to be Retweeted, Be Retweet-able

    It never ceases to amaze me how technology cripples our ability to communicate.

    (Wait. What?)

    Yes, you would think it should be the opposite.

    This post lists ways to remind you that you are still a human being even when you have a computer in your pocket.

    1. Stop Tweeting from Facebook

    Yes. Automation. Specifically, “Tweeting from Facebook” is very easy and popular. But is it the best way to get your message out on Twitter? I say no.

    (Save your outcry for politicians or the comment section.)

    Listen, I’ve been tweeting since 2007. I’ve seen a lot of new people take up Twitter lately, thinking it will give them instant results like the promise of Sea Monkeys on the back of cereal boxes.

    You don’t build relationships by pushing buttons.

    I always tell people, just because you “can” doesn’t mean you “should.”

    I see a lot of tweets from Facebook. They often lack context, relevance, or even text (yes, when you post a photo on Facebook it “tweets” a link – just a link).

    However, if your tweet is a fragment of a long, run-on sentence which, out of context, makes no sense, then people will ignore it in their feed.

    Not only that, but when on my mobile device, why should I have to go to Facebook to see your photo? Or go through Facebook just to go to the original link?

    The biggest argument I encounter to this advice is “I don’t have time.”

    It takes all of forty seconds to copy the text and paste it into Twitter. It might take a minute to upload a photo to Twitter. You’ll have to edit the tweet, too. But you do have time.

    You don’t book U2 for a coffee house; consider the fact that certain venues are appropriate for different styles of communication.

    Also, it looks like you don’t know what you’re doing. (Yes, I said it.)

    Even Carol Stephen, the nicest lady on the internet, said,

    “One post across all platforms seems lazy.”

    I realize your feelings are hurt, but is this what you want people to think about you and your personal or business brand? The best-case scenario is that people just think you are lazy. I’d say the advice is more important than your feelings.

    Yes, it is possible to manage your Twitter account with a minimum of five minutes a day. If you don’t have a lot of followers (10,000), this is achievable.

    2. Tweet more than once a day.

    Do you really think people are going to actually go to your Twitter profile every day? I hate to disappoint you, but they will not. Do you?

    They might go check out your profile when they decide to follow you. Otherwise, they will, most likely, never see it again. Make sure it’s compelling enough that people will follow you.

    (See: Baby Steps to the Tweet)

    3. Use Hashtags.

    Politicians can use their office as a hashtag, businesses can use their industries, people can use their hobbies, etc. This is a great way to find like-minded people.

    Don’t go hog-wild. Three hashtags per tweet (max) is a good rule of thumb. Otherwise, you not only look like spam, but your tweet is difficult to read.

    Set up a search for that hashtag and use a column-format platform to take advantage of this like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck. (This is also good for the lists you make, but that’s another blog post.)

    (See: What is a Hashtag?)

    4. Thank the people that retweet you.

    What a concept. Sure, it takes work to do this. Don’t retweet their retweet. Just reply to them and say “Thank you.”

    Expressions of gratitude are how people will become endeared to you. Don’t you like to be thanked?

    5. Retweet other people.

    Yes, it’s social media and reciprocation is part of the unspoken rules of anything social whether it’s online or in person. Think about it for a moment.

    If you’re a pastor, retweet other pastors.

    If you’re a business, (follow and) retweet similar industries, even competitors.

    If you’re a politician, (follow and) retweet other politicians that are tweeting. (Specific advice – click here.)

    The retweet can include a reply like this:

    Bottom line:

    Regardless of your industry, brand, or organization: show some support to your peers. My friend Amy Donohue always says: “It is called social media for a reason, people.”

    6. Make the tweet 120 characters or less.

    Yes, some of us still “old school retweet.” It’s a good way to reply with context. Admittedly, this is highly debated. (@UnMarketing, for example, prefers replies.)

    I like to mix up replies and retweets. However, there are stats out there that the shorter the tweet, the more likely people will engage.

    Do some of your own experimenting.

    (See: Marketing Week “Keep tweets short to boost engagement”)

    7. Content is king.

    Content matters. You have it, you probably just don’t realize it yet.

    (See: “Content, Just Elbow Your Way In“)

    8. Grammar Matters

    Whether it’s the text of the tweet or the blog you’re posting grammar matters. If you want to be seen as a professional, you have to be professional.

    If you can’t remember the difference between homophones, for example, either put a sticky note by your computer or avoid the expression. For example, instead of typing, “You’re welcome,” you can say “sure thing” or “no problem” or “anytime.”

    (See” Copyblogger’s 15 Grammatical Errors That Make You Look Silly and 10 Grammar Mistakes that Can Keep Your Content from Spreading)

    If, however, I feel that the tweet is too good to pass up, I will correct the grammar before retweeting. This is another reason why I prefer old-school RT’s over the “retweet button.”

    9. End the Mindless Repetition

    Okay, you understand that no one on the face of this planet has bookmarked your Twitter page and so you want to get your message out. That’s good. But it can’t be the only thing you tweet. Think about it for a moment.

    Go sign into Twitter, not a third-party app, Twitter.com. Look at your profile. Would you honestly follow yourself? That’s a good indicator of how you should modify your Tweeting behavior.

    10. Shorten Your Links

    Bitly.com shortens links as does Hootsuite.com.

    With this, I add the advice to check your links (to make sure they work) before tweeting. This is especially important when recycling tweets.

    Challenge:

    As with most of my advice, it comes from the perspective of a user and enthusiast. You can check out my “street cred” and decide for yourself.

    I double-dog dare you to change your tweeting habits for one or two weeks. I believe the proof of the pudding is the eating.

    (My favorite tool to see popular retweets is Crowdbooster.)

  • How to Link to Your Company Page on Your Facebook Profile

    Have you ever wondered how to link your work in the about section of your profile to your company’s Facebook Page?

    Here are the steps:

    1. Go to your profile (not page, profile).
    2. Click “About.”
    3. Click “Edit” under “Work and Education.”
    4. If your current job is listed delete it.  Otherwise skip to next step.
    5. Where it says “Where have you worked?” in the blank box start typing the name of your company.
    6. If it has a Facebook Page, it should be suggested.  (If not, you just type it in anyway.)
    7. Click on the suggested page.
    8. Fill out the job title, description, and dates.
    9. Click “Add Job” and you’re done.