Industry News

Social Media and the Image You Convey, or Would You Buy a Used Car from a Guy With a Goofy Profile Picture?

Posted in: Blog, Facebook, Industry News by SpiderWriters on February 1, 2010 | No Comments

With regards to surfing Facebook, it’s been a very telling week. Several days ago, a friend vented to me about one profile he monitors specifically because it belongs to a friend of his teenage daughter. The girl had posted rather raunchy photos (including shots of  underage drinking and smoking) to an album not marked as private. “Anybody can see this,” he groused, though he admitted he was grateful to see no compromising pictures of his child.

More recently my husband, who shuns any and all social networking, asked me to look up a few Facebook profiles for him. He is on a panel conducting interviews to fill a vacancy at his school, and wanted to see if any information provided on the accounts matched what he received in the applications. It happens, in nearly every field of business and entertainment. I know publishers and editors who perform Google searches on prospective authors who have submitted work – not so much to see if they actively promote online, but if they do or say anything that could potentially damage their own reputations if they were to sign them.

If you think somebody isn’t looking at your Facebook profile, or reading your tweets and not forming an opinion about you, think again. According to a recent Microsoft study, twenty-five percent of HR managers reject job candidates based upon information found online, particular social profiles. So if you’re thinking about posting that video of your antics from your friend’s bachelor party at Hooter’s, and you happen to be up for tenure at your university, you may want to think twice.

Business and the Social Media Image: Who Represents You Online?

These days, it doesn’t seem uncommon for a major company to have a policy on their employees’ involvement in sites like Facebook and MySpace. Even off the clock, you may be seen as a representative of your work, and as such may be expected to project a professional image. This doesn’t mean, of course, that businesses are watching their workers 24/7, but thanks to Google Alerts and similar watchdog applications, managers can monitor what is being said about their companies, and ultimately these updates can click through to something they feel should be handled swiftly, and perhaps with disciplinary action.

For the business using Facebook, Twitter, and other social profiles to market products and services, it’s important to ensure that your activity online is handled in the manner you conduct your business, and provide the face you want customers to see – be it casual, professional, humorous or compassionate.

Does this mean you can’t play Farmville anymore? Not necessarily, but if you do have criticism to share about your company or competitors, you may wish to exercise caution when you post status updates. If you’re set on sharing photos of your wild weekend in Vegas, strongly consider utilizing privacy options on the social network and avoid tagging friends online if you feel the shots are a bit compromising. You don’t want to put a friend at risk, either.

If your company has a fan page on Facebook, make employees aware of feedback policies – designate one or two employees to speak on behalf of the business via the network to avoid confusion. It’s easier, of course, to set up that person as admin to ensure fans will know the company responds in a timely manner.

Social networks are all about socializing – they are meant to inspire fun and creativity. So long as your company and employees know the difference between light-hearted behavior and immaturity, you can enjoy a good presence online.

Kathryn Lively is a social media expert assisting clients with social media writing and travel social media services. Clients include Gainesville hotels and Virginia Beach web design companies.

Claim Your Name, Even If You Never Plan to Use It

Posted in: Blog, Industry News by SpiderWriters on January 29, 2010 | 1 Comment

A client learned a valuable lesson today with regards to preserving himself as a brand. While he achieved success in two businesses and thought ahead to obtain a number of domain names pertinent to his business, he never bothered to register his own name as a URL. One might not consider this a bad business move, especially when you consider how strongly he promoted the brands that defined his work. Only when he agreed to attend a conference in order to sell himself as a trustworthy business partner did he realize the importance of owning his name.

The problem arose, however, when it was discovered that somebody – a person in his line of work who anticipated his eventual need for the URL – registered it himself. Rather than transfer the domain in good faith, he decided to hold it for ransom – not for an inflated price, but to force the namesake’s hand in another matter. Whether or not this act violates the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act is up for the experts to decide, but from this experience comes an important lesson in protecting all of your online interests. Business owners who focus on ensuring a specific brand name is secured through domain listings and social media vanity tags may lose sight of their own personal branding, and in turn suffer the consequences.

Everybody has a name, and more than likely there are other people in the world with the same name as yours. It’s probable for the man called John Smith, and possible for somebody with a more obscure surname. When authors come to us for advice on pseudonyms, we strongly recommend using Google for a potential non de plume to make sure it isn’t already known (or infamous) – it’s also not a bad idea to Google yourself once in a while to see what’s being written.

Given your online visibility, is it important to register your name as a domain, even if you have no use for it in business? It is definitely recommended. You can register the URL without feeling obligated to apply it to a site. Once you do, it’s yours for a year, or for however long you initially buy it. Redirect it to your company profile page, create an HTML placeholder for it, just have that ownership so nobody else will.

As your company grows, so will interest in your business and the people behind it. While success creates opportunity for you, it’s wise to think ahead before somebody unrelated sees value in things like domain names. Don’t be caught like our client.

Kathryn Lively is a social media specialist assisting clients with social media writing and travel social media services. Clients include Gainesville hotels and Virginia web design companies.

The Impact of Viral Facebooking: What We Can Learn From Bra Colors

Posted in: Blog, Industry News by SpiderWriters on January 11, 2010 | 2 Comments

Perhaps, if you checked the statuses of Facebook friends over the weekend, you saw them, too. Multitudes of women, posting a single color beside their avatars. Black, white, peach, red, lavender, pink…every color of the rainbow. It seemed some female friends were in on the joke, judging from their comments. If you’re a man, no doubt the movement confused you. An eventual missive in my inbox spilled the goods: the oft-forwarded form message asked women to post their bra color in their status to raise awareness for breast cancer.

A nifty idea, and one that truly proved the power of viral marketing. The Facebook bra flap has since gone on to attract the attention of national wires and morning talk shows. Whether the stunt has actually helped raise funds for breast cancer research is debatable, but one thing is clear: if you come up with a compelling idea and convince just a few people to play along, chances are you could spread your brand quickly throughout the country.

Can You Beat the Bra?

With different applications on social media sites like MySpace and Facebook vying for users’ attentions, you as a social media marketer may wonder if you can compel thousands of people to spread your gospel. One thing to know about viral marketing is that what you promote must be interesting enough to grab one person, much less a thousand. Plant the seed, and the rest follows, but that seed must be potent.

How do you make a viral campaign in Facebook, or even Twitter, work? First and foremost, if you wish to attract mass attention to a specific cause or item, you want to be certain what you plan doesn’t overtly advertise something. The Facebook Bra fad worked because it introduced some mystery (why are all these women posting colors?) and because its ultimate goal was to raise awareness about something to which all women, regardless of age, race, and creed, could relate – the risk of breast cancer. If you are running social media for a non profit organization, for example, applying a creative method for getting the word out about your cause can prove beneficial.

If you run a business and are trying to sell a product? It’s possible you may up end dead in the water quickly if you approach hundreds of Facebook friends and fans imploring them to plug your products. Where’s the fun in that? However, if you encourage a viral campaign related to your business but doesn’t outwardly sell anything, you have the opportunity to market yourself internally. Each mail you send to would-be participants should contain your main URL. For every message forwarded to another friend that is kept whole, your site is exposed to more and more people. This is where the true “virus” takes root.

How quickly can a campaign spread. There’s no telling how well, or how poorly, you’ll do. If you bomb out the starting gate the first time, don’t feel discouraged. Sometimes you’ll need to try an assortment of tricks before something hits. The more you fire up your inventive side, the more likely you can harness social media for your benefit.

Social Media Backlash Shouldn't Prevent You From Profile Upkeep

Posted in: Blog, Facebook, Industry News, Twitter by SpiderWriters on January 5, 2010 | No Comments

In an age where wives are finding out via Facebook that their husbands are leaving them, a business owner might take pause when considering a social media marketing strategy. It seems lately Twitter, too, is used more as a harbinger for bad news and celebrity gossip (just plug in a search for Tiger Woods and sit back for the fireworks), and one wouldn’t be surprised to guess if a business owner wants to curb social online interaction in favor of less sensationalized promotion. Is that a wise move, however?

The recent news implying that Facebook usage, among utilization of other networks, is responsible for global marital breakdown is fascinating, yet it is hardly an innovation. If a marriage has floundered before Internet use became a factor, one can’t necessarily place the blame on social media. While sites like MySpace, Bebo, Facebook and others allow old friends (and consequently old flames) to reconnect, it’s also a helpful communication tool for families. Fathers keep track of their children’s activities, married couples share photos and videos with friends, and often talk to one another. It may not be the ideal situation, and may fast be replacing the night dinner around the table, but social media can work as well in strengthening familial bonds rather than severing them. Anyone using a social network to expedite divorce could easily do the same with anything else – an obsession with sports or other activities, long hours at work, and so forth.

Social networks in and of themselves are not evil. To be certain, people have abused their better qualities for nefarious purposes, but as such stories are few and far between this should not deter a businessman or company from refraining from their use. For every new item of a threat posted on a blog there are more detailing how people have used social media to find missing children, obtain help for needy families, or reunite siblings separated for years.

How can you keep a positive focus on marketing through social media? Always maintain a healthy attitude when you post items of interest. Not everything you share needs to be company related, and it’s good to engage friends and followers in conversations that highlight a brighter side to humanity. Does your company support a specific charity or non-profit? Find links and articles that showcase the good they do. If you’ve hosted an event recently, share pictures and video. Social media is about making your own news – so make it good.

Phone Apps Help Tourism Businesses Keep Travelers Informed

Posted in: Blog, Industry News by SpiderWriters on December 28, 2009 | No Comments

Taking Advantage of Twitter's New Retweet Feature

Posted in: Blog, Industry News, Twitter by SpiderWriters on December 10, 2009 | No Comments

While browsing through a Twitter feed, I caught sight of a mini conversation between two people trying to figure out how people they do not follow ended up in their feeds. For the time being, this is only a phenomenon that occurs when one reads directly from Twitter’s site – readers such as Echofon and Tweetdeck do not capture these particular posts. What is happening here is that when somebody you follow retweets a post made by somebody you don’t follow, Twitter adds the original post to your feed, with the avatar and profile link of the poster. The purpose, ostensibly, is to broaden a user’s awareness of like-minded Tweeters out there.

What does this mean for the business person who utilizes social media in his/her marketing plan? For one, every time one of your posts is retweeted, there is a chance somebody who doesn’t follow you will see your post, and perhaps be inspired to add you to a feed. Of course, this is based on the assumption that potential followers will use the Twitter site and not a special reader (or a reader that supports this function – as readers update this could become a reality), and that people will retweet your posts in the first place. In order to take advantage of this added exposure to your company, you must not only be social, but be interesting.

Recruitment of Retweeters

It’s not uncommon to see a request for followers to retweet a particular message, be it a sales notice or a call to action. Depending on the scope of your business, you can conduct Twitter-only discount codes for products and services, then request followers to spread the word. Adding incentive (i.e. choosing a random retweeter for a prize giveaway) may boost motivation.

Maintaining your Twitter account on a personal level, too, may encourage followers to spread your wisdom. If you were to constantly post repetitive information hustling people to your main site, you might find you lose more followers than you gain. Take care to nurture relationships with those already opted-in to your feed, and you can cultivate a larger following as you progress socially.

Kathryn Lively is a social media specialist assisting clients with social media optimization and travel social media services.

Social Media Helps Non-Profits Take Advantage of the Giving Season

Posted in: Blog, Industry News by SpiderWriters on December 2, 2009 | No Comments

While the holiday shopping season may emphasize the need to gift friends and loved ones with expensive gadgets and games, there always remains that part of the population who enjoys giving for the purpose of truly giving to the community. Donations to non-profits and charities – whether made in honor of a friend or as a supportive thank-you – are naturally sought at this time of year, with organizations offering various incentives in exchange for funds. Any non-profit not already soliciting donations via social media, however, is missing out on a great opportunity to raise funds and awareness for its cause.

Tweet, ReTweet, Repeat

Think of your organization and how it is structured. How many people follow your Twitter account, and how many people within your organization use the social network? Twitter works as a viral tool for parsing information and news. These days it doesn’t take much for a rumor to spread through thousands of posts, but Twitter isn’t just used for gossip. A thought-out campaign to have supporters post a URL to a landing page for donations could generate enough “re-tweeting” awareness among their followers and in turn bring new and lapsed donors to your door.

Give Your Organization a Face

Facebook is especially friendly toward specific causes. The aptly named Causes application allows users to set up a method for taking donations through Facebook. All you need to do is set up the application, encourage Facebook friends to join and donate, and a widget on your profile page will let visitors know how much is given to your organization. In addition, your organization is given a special Causes page to let visitors know your top earners, recruiters, and fundraisers.

Shine a Lens on Your Charity

The social network Squidoo, a page generator built on the foundation of adding specific modules to define your topics (including YouTube videos, Amazon links, and Twitter feeds), is an active supporter of non-profit organizations. Squidoo users who create new lenses have the option of donating royalties from ad click-throughs to the charities of their choice, and as a 501 (c)(3) you have the opportunity to apply for inclusion. If accepted, you can take advantage of Squidoo’s user-friendly lens building system to create pages on a variety of related topics. Promote the lenses through your other networks and encourage ad clicks to generate revenue.

Don’t let the holiday season pass without maximizing your exposure through social media. A well-executed plan can bring holiday spending toward your cause.

Holiday Shopping with Social Media

Posted in: Blog, Facebook, Industry News, Social Bookmarking, Twitter by SpiderWriters on November 25, 2009 | No Comments

With the tenuous economy plaguing consumers this holiday season, retailers have prepared for a likely decline in sales in the coming month, as opposed to last year. While households may not burst through the roof with expensive gadgets and large packages this time, one can still anticipate some level of gift exchange. Shoppers are apt to hunt down deal, online and off, and as Black Friday and the Christmas rush approaches it’s no surprise to see how business have taken advantage of social media channels to promote specials.

Social Media for the Retailer

Businesses with active Twitter and Facebook profiles are well advised to make use of both when courting shoppers to their online carts or brick and mortar locations, but other social networks also prove useful. The key to successfully utilizing social media to stimulate sales, though, is to maintain a high level of activity and sociability. As people pose questions on your Facebook wall or send messages via Twitter, answer promptly and offer links to your sites whenever possible. It may not be necessary to change up sales information via social networks, but it’s important to make sure the messages stay visible.

Social Media for the Consumer

If you consider yourself a savvy online shopper, chances are you are following all the retailers you patronize the most, and have subscribed to all the right mailing lists and forums. However, social media can still optimize your shopping experience.

If you’re aware of a particular shop or restaurant in your area and are contemplating shopping there for a gift card or other item, Yelp.com can prove useful in making up your mind. This social forum, while on the outset a customer review site for dining, also accept commentary on local shops and services.

Similarly, Digg allows Internet users to find links on bargains as discovered and promoted by Digg users. A search on an item you wish to purchase for a friend or relative can yield information helpful in your search for the best deal.

Smart phones have an extra boost this year, with specialized apps available to assist in hunting the best sales.  Coupon Sherpa, a website known for providing sales codes for online carts, allows smart phone users to download coupons that are accepted simply buy showing the cashier the phone screen.

This holiday season, keep watch on your social feeds for the best shopping deals, and see how social media can save you money this Christmas.

Lessons Learned at Internet Summit – Blogging is NOT Dead

Posted in: Blog, Blogging, Industry News by SpiderWriters on November 6, 2009 | No Comments

With this year’s Internet Summit 2009 and the promising list of guest speakers and panelists, we couldn’t say no to attending. With Raleigh, NC just under four hours away, we decided a quick overnight trip might just be the ticket to get the scoop on the state of the Internet and the proper directions in which we should steer our clients.

We do have to offer our kudos to the organizers for a well-planned event. Good food, interesting topics to cover, and the whole day moved so well. The Raleigh Convention Center was a hotbed of activity and networking among people who own/operate Web firms, or work for companies with online marketing departments. We met people from as far as New York and Pittsburgh come to hear what the next Twitter will be in a few years, and what the best methods are for monetizing sites and social media. Indeed, the subtext theme of the day appeared to be “Blogging is not dead.”

Richard Jalichandra, head of Technorati, stressed as much in his keynote. Blogs are the new longtail, and microblogging has exploded. This doesn’t mean, he believes, that one should abandon blogging altogether to tweet full-time. There is value in operating a blog that allows for great growth potential. When you consider the Huffington Post once started as a simple blog for Ariana Huffington to voice her political views in a forum she controlled…and now it’s one of the top news blogs out there, it’s amazing!

Later on in the day, Rick Klau of Blogger stepped up to emphasize similar sentiment. Content is still king, and blogs are the driving force of content. Other lessons learned this day:

• Social media isn’t necessarily a “blog killer” – more interactions with Facebook and Twitter may help blog readership
• Feeds are going to be a big traffic driver for the Web, but not once did we hear RSS mentioned. Social media feeds, status updates, etc.
• Video and images are among the top shared data over the Internet
• More time is spent on social media than e-mail
• Don’t discount social bookmarking when planning your SMO strategy

We met a number of the top movers and shakers in social media at this seminar, among them Matt Van Horn of Digg.

We came away from Internet Summit with a better understanding of how social media will impact the way people use the Internet, and with many helpful tips to assist our clients. If you are new to the social scene online, just you wait!

UK adult social networkers nearly double

Posted in: Blog, Industry News by SpiderWriters on October 15, 2009 | No Comments

The number of British adults signing up to social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace has almost doubled in the last two years, according to new research from the country’s communications watchdog.

Ofcom said its research reveals that 38 percent of British internet users now have a social networking site profile — up from 22 percent in 2007.

Read the entire article from Reuters.

Watching the UK increase involvement in social media is a good indiction of how the rest of the world will come to use networks like Twitter and Facebook, and social bookmark sites like Digg and Delicious to obtain news and information, bargains on online shopping and travel reservations, and personal communication. As the global audience grows, now is the time to think about increasing your presence to reach people searching for your products and services.

Spider Writers works with clients all around the world to maintain social networking and branding to reach new customers and strengthen loyalty among established patronage. We are ready to work with you to achieve your goals. Call us today at 757.499.1990 to learn how we can help you.