Bridget Willard | SaaS Marketing Agency

Category: Social Media

  • What’s the best practice for social media?

    The best practice for social media is to be a polite human being. Yes. It really is this simple. If someone compliments you, respond. Ignoring people is the best way to alienate your potential audience.

    Be a polite human.

    Yes, I’m Captain Obvious today. Or am I?

    Many of us in geekland have immersed ourselves in social media and you can be blinded to those things that seem obvious.

    Let me digress.

    When I was in college, the “science for teachers” course was so easy, having already taken AP Chemistry in high school, that I couldn’t believe we had to take it. But I’ll never forget what my professor said to me:

    “You’ll have a hard time teaching math and science, Bridget.”

    “Why?” I asked.

    “Because you won’t get why they don’t get it.”

    That became a driving factor in my mind for years to come. In fact, when I was a student teacher in the second grade, I was given the remedial math group. Our task: to learn to read an analog clock.

    When I was a kid, people didn’t all have digital, so the only choice was analog (and, to be totally honest, I read it best to this day).

    I tried EVERYTHING I could think of to teach these kids how to read the clock.

    One day, I had an epiphany.

    We became the clock.

    How? I made two sticks, one longer than the other, to represent the clock’s hands. The kids sat down in a circle, twelve of them, and each held a number. When the short hand pointed at a person, they announced their number, followed by the long hand who announced the minutes represented by their number and position on the face.

    It worked.

    What seemed obvious to me was a challenge to that group.

    Fast forward to 2013 in my first social media panel and questions and answers. I was, honestly, aghast that after the three presentations a person asked what the best practices are.

    Off camera, I answered:

    Excerpt (watch video):

    It’s a social network. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to tell people: “You should thank somebody for talking to you.” Like he tweeted to me something “Oh I’m really excited” and I responded.

    Because if David said something to me like “Oh, I really like your necklace” and I just turned around. How rude is that? Do you think David’s going to want to be my friend anymore? We don’t do this stuff in real life! Right?

    And he’s like “Dude. She’s wacked.” But I’m saying… (laughter) …That’s not how it works.

    But that’s how people do it on Twitter all the time. They’ll say something, “@David Oh I really like that color blue on you.” (Which is a great color on you, by the way.) And then he just …ignores me. How do you think we’re going to have a relationship? We’re not going to have a relationship.

    The next tweet is going to be “@David is a jackass because he’s not responding to me” or I’m going to be thinking it in my brain. Or you won’t respond at all. But it’s sitting out there on the internet… on the interwebs.

    “So, the most important thing is for you is to be a human being.”

    What we do online, we would never do in person. Would you walk away from someone who was talking to you? Would you parrot back what someone said? Would you bully someone in person?

    Derek Sivers has a video called “A Real Person, A Lot Like You” that I’ve watched nearly a dozen times. He says that the internet or computers has a way of dehumanizing us. We feel more bold to antagonize or be mean. We need to realize that on the other end of the internet is a real person, a lot like us.

    So what’s the best practice for social media?

    Be a polite human being. It wins every single time.

    I’ve broken down the Keys to Being Social by topic or characteristic in this book available on Amazon. 

  • Everyone Starts on Social Media for a Reason: This is Mine

    Everyone starts on social media for a reason. Like many of you, I had something to sell. But I found a community. I found several. And, so, I stayed. Now, it’s my livelihood and my tribe.

    Let me tell you my story in the video below and, hopefully, encourage you, too.

    My Social Media Origin Story

    But the gist, if you just want to read is here:

    Originally with my CD release in 2004, I sought to promote and sell (MySpace etc.).

    In 2007, I started my original Twitter account after hearing about it on Leo Laporte.

    It was fun to talk with people who had similar interests as me: music, the Bible, politics, dogs, etc.

    I started social for my work in 2009. I was already ahead having practiced personally for two years.

    Since 2005, however, I had been struggling with illness. In 2009 that was finally diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

    What brought me to social was something to sell, like many of you. What kept me was different.

    Social Media Community

    What kept me there was the community.

    I’m fortunate enough to still be able to work full-time with my illness but, like many chronic illnesses, you have to maintain your health. For me, among other things, this includes bed rest. Before I started on antidepressants in 2017, it meant I was bed by 7:00 PM every night and spend most weekends there, too.

    This is how I had time to develop my skills, start blogging, and even the most daring and physically challenging, the videos.

    One thing I’ve learned is that the more you open up, the deeper your connections will be.

    Sure, I’ve heard, “Why are you online so much? Why don’t you get a life?” more times than I should, and, I’ll admit, it hurts. The upside, however, is the world that was opened up to me in spite of the physical isolation of my illness.

    Being vulnerable is a risk. Telling my story is a risk. Though I’ve wavered many times before hitting “post,” “tweet,” or “publish,” I have never regretted it. Why? Most people thank me for telling my story.

    The 2020 Update

    I have had much success managing my illness since this post was written but most of it is still true. Being on antidepressants has helped my pain levels so much that I forget I’m a person who is ill. I push myself too hard.

    Being a full-time freelancer for the last two years and a remote worker for the previous two years has given me the freedom to produce work when I feel well. I have the freedom to take naps at 2:30 PM in the afternoon which is a life saver.

    When I go out to meet my friends at the pub for karaoke or whatnot, I take naps. Twenty minute naps are my lifesaver along with more protein in my diet and turmeric.

    But, I still have reminders. I’ve been pushing my exercise level a bit too hard. As I update this post today (1/29/20), I do so after sleeping until 2:00 PM in the afternoon, about to order food, and go back to bed.

    Tell Your Story

    What I’ve learned is that we all have a story. We all have value to add to this world. Sure, I can’t gig anymore. I can write. I can’t go to every Meetup. I can do Google Hangouts. I can’t tutor all those who ask for my help. I can make videos.

    I used to feel really bitter and sad. And, there are days when I wish there was a solution to my disease (today included), but I wouldn’t have this career if I hadn’t become ill.

    https://twitter.com/gidgey/status/1222590770185568257

    So, what brought you to social media? What’s keeping you here?

  • How to Set Up a Facebook Page: The work is in the Preparation

    So, why should you have a Facebook Page for your business? How do you set up a Facebook Page? Isn’t it just a profile? What are people doing wrong? How can they fix it? Easy Answer: Go here and follow their prompts.

    Disclaimer: These kinds of things change often.

    “I have a Facebook account. Do I really need to be a Page?”

    If you are a business, church, politician, service, organization, dog or anything resembling any of those, you will want to create a Page. It’s a violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service to use a “profile” as anything other than your true self. It protects the user’s privacy and that’s a good thing.

    If you want to start using brand awareness campaigns, that’s great. You can get some traction for only $20 a post, if your audience is right. This is also another reason why you shouldn’t buy likes or followers, but that’s another blog post. Make sure your Facebook Page is optimized and that you’ve cultivated an organic following.

    “The Brand Awareness objective is great for campaigns that target your top of the funnel – acquisition audiences, and mainly prospective customers. These are the coldest audiences, who have no idea who you are.” Madgicx

    Sucessful Facebook Pages are Intentional

    For your Facebook Page to be successful, you need to start with intent. There is more work to prepare than to actually set up the actual page. Like most things in life that are overwhelming, the best approach is to break them into small, achievable tasks. Think about a cooking show. What’s the sequence of events? What comes first? Who will do that task?

    1. Who is going to manage the Facebook Page?

    Decide beforehand who is going to manage the page. At least two people should be admins (to back one another up). Like I told my friend this weekend, it’s work, make no mistake. Often our friends will ask for our help without fully realizing what this new project entails.

    Who will respond to requests? Who will be on standby for answers? It is a big responsibility. The Pages Manager App makes this a bit easier but won’t let you interact with other Pages you like (as of right now).

    2. What kind of Facebook Page will it be?

    If you’re an artist, choose “Artist, Band or Public Figure.” Choose the one that seems most reasonable to you. It can be changed later. If you want people to check in to your location choose “Local Business or Place.”

    Depending upon what kind of Page you select, Facebook will prompt you to the next questions.

    3. What are your Facebook Page’s details?

    Just the deets, Jeets. All kidding aside, have a text file ready with your phone number, address, mailing address, website address, contact emails, bio, mission statement, and about all ready to go.

    About will show under your page. Try for under 80 characters.

    You could skip this part but then your friends wouldn’t understand why you’re inviting them to a Page they know nothing about.

    4. Are your images ready for your Facebook Page?

    * Disclaimer: Facebook changes a lot and the image sizes with it.

    You will need two images to start: a profile photo (which is square if it’s a logo) and a cover photo. The profile photo needs to be square. The cover photo should be 851 x 315 pixels large. This changes a lot but the most recent, easy-to-read guide is by Jon Loomer.

    Facebook really wants your cover photo to have very little text on it. For my Facebook Page, I just have an awesome photo I took of the Harbor which is the same image I’m using on my Blog and Twitter headers, too. (See The Twitter Set Up Guide to learn how to set that up.)

    If your logo isn’t square, make one. Have your graphic artist make one. All of the social networks require a square photo. It’s nothing new.

    5. Who will create content to share on your Facebook Page?

    There is a big difference between creating content and managing a page. Many of us do both. But they are different responsibilities. You’ll want to have that conversation.

    Creating content is writing, making a video, taking photos, and writing the text.

    Curating content is finding articles, videos, and photos elsewhere to share. Beware of right-clicking on images from other Pages and sharing them as if you created it. That’s a big-time copyright infringement issue. SHARING the same photo from a page onto yours maintains their rights as owners. The technologies we use may have changed but plagiarism has not. But you learned this when you were turning in reports in 7th grade, right?

    6. Do you still want to make a Facebook Page?

    If you want to create a Facebook Page, follow Facebook’s step-by-step instructions. You’ll need 25 likes (from people, not pages) to get a custom url (go to facebook.com/username to customize) and 30 for insights (analytics). You may want to ask your peers privately, don’t spam your whole Facebook Friend List.

    7. How do I get likes on my Facebook Page?

    Ask your Facebook friends nicely and infrequently to like your Facebook Page and give them a reason why. Begging for likes is annoying. If you are starting a Page, there’s a reason. Surely, you have at least 25 people who will like it.

    You could post, “Hey, I just started this page and I’d love your help to get to 25. Thank you.” with the link. People respond to that. But just post it once or twice.

    If you use Twitter or another social network, post there, too. For sure, include a link to your new Facebook Page it on any blog or website.

    8. What are Facebook Page best practices?

    Don’t share the same content at the same time with other networks (automatic cross-posting). It’s poor form and shows that you’re not present. Resist the temptation. We will think you don’t know what you’re doing.

    Do not connect Twitter to Facebook or vice versa. They are vastly different cultures. You’re playing with fire here.

    How often should you post? People vary in opinion from 1-3 times a day to 3-4 times a week. Either way, the volume is a lot less than it is on Twitter.

    Be helpful. Your posts should be a great resource.

    Be humorous. Within reason, this is a good way to make your audience smile.

    Share others’ content. It’s a social network, remember?

    Find out when your audience is online. This is the tricky part and, depending on the type of Page you have, your audience will vary. Lunch customers would like to know things around 11 am. My audience is mostly business people who don’t care about anything unless it’s 9-5 M-F. Does it stop me from posting at 1 am on a Saturday? No, but I’m a rebel.

    Oh. Don’t like your own posts. It’s tacky. (Word to mobile users. If you are a Page admin and you see a post while on FB mobile you will be liking it AS THE PAGE. Annoying, but that’s how it is now.)

    Good luck and have fun.

    Updated 10/29/2020

    Ruby at Social Success Marketing made this infographic and included it in her post:

    how to set up facebook page social media infographic

  • Everything I Know About Twitter Chats, I Learned At the Dog Park

    Owning a dog can be a very rewarding experience, especially if you adopt. With a dog you need to pay for the adoption, vet, and license fees. But it’s worth it.

    Dog ownership taught me to live for something beyond myself. I have step-children and grandchildren but they grow up. Dogs do not. Always looking for an analogy, I realized this is helpful in social media. Why? The most egregious crime of social is to be self-centered.

    Many people start their Twitter accounts and build a small community, interacting as time allows, and that’s great. I’m a huge advocate for Twitter as you can tell by the quantity of posts I’ve written. Your Twitter use can exist without a chat, but the chat is more rewarding.

    The next step in your “dog ownership” is to join a chat. It’s unnecessary but more advanced. In many ways that’s like going to a dog park.

    Just like dog parks, Twitter chats are fun.

    If you feel like you’ve plateaued maybe you have.

    It’s great to run by yourself or find a few friends to chat with here and there but going to a Twitter chat is way more fun. It’s just like going to a dog park. It’s a great time to sniff around, smell the smells, explore, and run off leash.

    It’s true that you can have small bursts of conversation on Twitter, if the parties happen to be online at the same time. However, during a Twitter chat, they’re all online, active, and present. And each chat revolves around a topic which makes the interaction both focused and engaging.

    Twitter chats are exciting because they are live, sometimes the answers are even controversial.

    Types of Parks

    There is a dog park to suit both your and your dog’s needs. Many towns have neighborhood parks that are usually smaller with a regular (local) attendance.

    Some parks have grass and some have sawdust. Even better are parks that segregate by size. Many beaches allow off leash access and if you want to meet with people with your exact dogs, you can find breed-specific clubs.

    Twitter chats are like that, too. There are many different kinds of chats, big and small, with wide and narrow topics. For example, #LeadWithGiants is a large weekly chat that allows nearly anyone to attend since we can all learn to be better leaders.

    Either way, they are a fantastic way to expand your horizons, learn new things, and connect with people you never would have met.

    Local Culture

    Culture is a vogue way of referring to a group’s written or unwritten rules. Each dog park has both written and unwritten rules.

    Some rules (protocol) are obvious. Pick up after your own dog, be aware of your dog’s behavior. In a Twitter chat, that means not starting fights and adhering to the chat’s structure (answer Q1 with A1 and include the hashtag at the end).

    How do you learn the unwritten rules? Stand back, observe, and listen. You’ll see quickly (especially if you go regularly) who the alpha dog (and dog parent) is. It’s exactly the same in a Twitter chat. There is always a dominant personality  (or two or three) as well as a moderator (the person who asks the questions). Now, being dominant isn’t bad. It just is.

    Sometimes as attendance shifts, the culture shifts. Honing your online social and observational skills is a good thing. Always listen. Always watch.

    Making Friends

    While joining the chat is fun, you won’t instantly bond with everyone there. No, you’ll bond with people more like you.

    Not all dogs chase balls. Some chase other dogs. Some dogs spend their time sniffing. Other dogs intensely watch for squirrels. These dogs may not fight, but they don’t have a lot in common.

    Look for the people in the chat with whom you agree and be friendly toward them. Give them a high five, fistbump, or retweet. No need to pee on their leg. HA!

    On the Watch

    Just like in real life, you need to be aware and you have to watch for the bullies. It’s a reality of our life, online and off. It’s exactly the same at the dog park.

    Being at the dog park, like watching children at a pool, isn’t a time for multitasking. It’s your responsibility to watch your dog. People open the gate and your dog could escape, an aggressive dog could walk by, there could be a fight.

    Twitter chats require an intense amount of concentration and presence. You can’t really automate (pre-schedule) your answers. People will know you’re not present.

    Truthfully, it may not be for you. After our second dog, we went to parks for a couple of years. Then it became too much work. You may find the same with chats. Just be aware. It is a commitment.

    How do you find a chat?

    You can go to Twubs or ChatSalad to search for hashtags. TweetChat has a list of active “rooms.”

    The easiest way to find a chat, I’ve found, is through one of your trusted followers. Just like my adventures in the dog park days, Twitter chats are full of very friendly and welcoming people.

    As I answered in #BufferChat, here is my 140 character advice:

  • Leadership Through Following – A Twitter Strategy

    This post was originally written in 2014 and, at the end of 2020, not much has changed. What has changed is clients wanting magic tricks to become instant thought leaders. It doesn’t work that way.

    “Leadership is a choice not a rank.”  Simon Sinek 

    To follow or not to follow, that is the question and a highly debated topic.

    Twitter is, in my opinion, the most public of all of the social networks. Though you can make your account private, unless you do, I feel that you should fully consider why I believe you should follow everyone* back.

    It is in your following behavior that you demonstrate true leadership and, dare I say, the best way to grow your following.

    *Spam

    Yes, there are #TeamFollowBack, #BirthdayClub, and #BuyMoreFollowers spam along with porn sites. Don’t follow them unless that is your industry.

    Disclaimer

    Yes. It is your Twitter feed. You are able to run it the way you choose. However, if you plan on tweeting for a business or for your professional life, I’d ask you to consider it fully. But if you want to be that guy who has 50,000+ followers and only follows 78, be my guest. If that’s you, you probably won’t like the rest of this article.

    Management

    Yes, it is way easier to manage tweets from under a hundred people. Did you really think you’d read every single tweet? Just the thought of it makes me stressed out.

    One of my favorite parts of Twitter is that reading the tweets is a low-commitment, easy-to-handle task. When I’m waiting at the doctor, or waiting for my boss to sign checks, or have a few moments to spare, I can read Twitter. It’s easy to start and easy to stop.

    Generosity

    Generosity is a key attribute of leadership. We all respond well to those who give more than they take. And when they ask for favors (retweets, links, store purchases) many of us are happy to oblige. We’re your biggest fans, so why not follow back?

    Another form of generosity is spending 5-10 minutes a day in your home feed and responding to those people. Sage advice from Scott Stratten I saw years ago. I do it daily. Guess what? I meet new people. (Imagine that!)

    Perception (aka Branding)

    Do you want to be viewed as a jerk? I’ve had conversations with people who have hurt feelings (literally) because they were not followed back. Heck, I’ve been that person. We talk about you behind your back. If you’re using Twitter to boost your celebrity, get consulting gigs, or anything even remotely revolved around building your street cred, then following back is a must.

    Celebrity

    Because we irrationally adore celebrities, we tolerate their jerky behavior (read any tabloids lately?). Verified accounts allow people to skip Twitter’s ratios (see a few sections down). However, most of us are not celebrities but we act as if we do when we don’t return a follow.

    Is one of your fans quoting you frequently? Quoting is promoting. Maybe you could follow that person, thank them, and even put them on a list called “frequent quoters,” “big fans,” or “appreciated.” I bet you’d encourage those people to keep promoting you. You’ll make a fan for life.

    Personal Growth

    “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” ~ Aristotle

    Keeping an open mind and allowing yourself to empathize, if not agree, with other people’s experiences, opinions, and perceptions is what makes you grow as a person.

    When you’re notified that a person follows you on Twitter, you decide within 10-60 seconds if  you believe they have anything of value to offer you. What does that say about you?

    Following Ratios*

    *Excerpt from my post “Organize Your Twitter Stream: Use Lists.”

    Like your cholesterol’s HDL versus LDL ratio, it’s important to shoot for a “good ratio.”  Carol Stephen

    It sucks when you don’t realize you can only follow 2000 people and then you hit a following wall, literally. You can’t follow anyone else unless more people follow you. If you followed no one back and are following 2000, you’ve got a lot of work to do, my friend, both to follow and unfollow.

    There are additional glass ceilings that you hit. I have experienced this over the last 13 years of managing accounts. You will hit another wall at 5,000, 9,000, 14,000, and 19,000.  It seems to me that the sweet spot is about 1.1 but Twitter says it depends on the individual account.

    This is why I had to start unfollowing people who don’t follow back.  I really like who.unfollowed.me for this.

    This is why I follow people back. The few exceptions are porn, how to get more users people, how to make money on the internet people, #TeamFollowBack (spammy, in my opinion), and eggs.

    Only verfied accounts get to be non-follow-back-ers. This behavior can be viewed as arrogant, so proceed with caution.  You get back what you give.

    As Twitter says,

    Once you’ve followed 2000 users, there are limits to the number of additional users you can follow: this limit is different for every user and is based on your ratio of followers to following.

    More Info: Twitter Help Center: FAQ about Following

    The Secret

    No one reads every tweet. It’s impossible. This is why lists are crucial.

    Whether you want to be able to promote your clients, keep up on a group of people with common interests, or read about the goings on in Portland, lists are the key.

    Do you remember the Twitter handle or name of that painter you wanted to get a bid from? Oh my! This was one of my problems. Putting people on lists by category (changes depending upon your account) really helps if you ever have to find someone. Lord love ya if you ever have to use Twitter’s search, the most frustrating experience next to removing red nail polish, but I digress.

    Results

    I’m no celebrity yet I have over 16,000 followers. Why? I follow people back. I list them. I read tweets. I respond. I make connections. Whether you spend five minutes twice a day or several hours on Twitter, this strategy works. Why? We are all human and are wired for connection. There is also a dopamine reaction from a notification but that is another blog post.