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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Facebook Announced Privacy Changes Effective Jan 1, 2015

https://www.facebook.com/about/terms-updates


Facebook announced Privacy changes in Terms and Conditions effective January 1, 2015.  They have developed something called Privacy Basics which is a tool to assist in understanding all privacy options.

They are covering information on:

  • GEO Targeting or getting location information to provide you with enhancements for where you are and friends nearby.
  • Enhancements to Purchases on Facebook
  • Information on the apps use with your device down to battery, signal and permissions
  • Information on the suite of companies now working with Facebook
  • Additional control with Ads
Though the information provided so far is very general, it has a nice appearance to its instruction tutorial module and walks you through some of the popular questions you would see in forums.  They are also developing videos in 30+ languages to provide instruction as well.

Though I can't give a thumbs up or down on this Privacy initiative, I will say that as a user of Facebook, this is a step in the right direction and I am encouraged to see if there are mild or massive changes users will need to make upon the official launch, if they have made adjustments to layouts and how this will effect the user experience.  The biggest complaint people have when we talk about Facebook in consultations is, "They just don't make it easy to find answers to my questions"  So hopefully this will help with that!


View the details about Privacy Basics, Terms and Updates at: https://www.facebook.com/about/terms-updates



~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Hollie Clere

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

http://www.socialpowerprogram.com/

Curious on whether your social brand is built properly?  Get your Social Media Analysis today. 
 


http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/Social_Media_Analysis.html


Monday, November 24, 2014

Top 5 Tips To Fill Your Business Bellies With Fundamental Social Media Strategies!

http://thesocialmediaadvisor.com/






Social Media is a tool that ANY business can use to fill their funnel of “hungry bellies” with solid relationship marketing strategies.  This 4th Quarter is the perfect opportunity to build the foundation for successful routines to catapult you into the New Year!




So, you may have built a Facebook Page, Gathered connections on LinkedIn, Dabbled in Twitter or Launched a Google+ Profile for your business. We hear frequently that people have “tried them on” and left them undernourished due to a variety of reasons.  Maybe you have never closed business using social media, known how best to navigate the changing temperatures of updates or had time to dedicate to this relationship tool.  Now is the time to reconsider your strategies.




A good friend of mine (Sabina Claus, Business Coach and Accountability Partner at www.sabinaclaus.com) says, “I love the MONTH of Thanksgiving”.  You heard me right, not the month of November, but the month of Thanks and Giving.  She is also the person who asked me this question, “How do you eat the elephant?”  As all of us know, you eat it, “One bite at a time”.  She said this isn’t correct.  Here is why.  You invite the village (your community), and you have a feast (or in other words, you tackle that battle together).  Wise words from a wise lady.  




With this season of Thanks and Giving, I invite you to have a feast with me.  Here are 5 things you can do to incorporate solid Social Media Strategies into your Online Marketing plans:




Tip #1: Choose the right Meat for your Social Media Marketing Campaigns

The only way you are going to know if the platform (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter) is right for you, is to create an account and search for your target market.  A Social Media Analyst will be able to pinpoint the best for you, but this is the first step.  If your clients aren’t present, will your ideal client be found in this platform?  Probably not unless you change your core focus and that is another situation all together.




Tip #2: Be consistent in your Cooking (activity) in Social Media

Social Media is intended to be a Social Engagement medium.  It isn’t a website.  Websites generally are pretty static (or don’t change much) once they are created and launched.  Your social tools are intended for you to post weekly (worse case scenario) or daily (and in some cases many, many times each day depending on the platform).  Without activity, you decrease your chances of engagement and you also decrease your chances of being found, followed and gain new followers.  If you are going to post an update, be sure to post at the best times of day for that platform which you can learn easily from a social media consultant based on your niche and target market.




Tip #3: Adding Media will be your Gravy to your Mash Potatoes 

It is always good to add links to your website or other articles you are sharing, images that tell the story about your post or video to enhance the user experience even further.  When you think about the psychology of a user, they may tend to gravitate more to “color” such as use of media than a post with just text because it is more visually appealing and can draw them in.  Posts that use media generally have a higher click through rate, share rate and expand your visibility to the networks that share it.




Tip #4: Build a Solid Routine using the Right Taste Testing Tools for your Social Media

Tools and scheduling options provide you with the most opportunity for flexibility in your social media marketing experience.  If you are able to have messages scheduled for you, you can easily promote events, seminars, promotions and product launches at inception and not worry about the visibility component each week (or day) leading up to the event.  Tools such as HootSuite are a great medium for that.  Schedule your posts, moderate comments, messages and engagement from any device, any place via this tool.  You can learn more by visiting: http://bit.ly/ZbYgiW


Tip #5: Hire a Social Media Chef (Social Media Manager)

Whether you choose to select an internal employee dedicated to marketing your business (online) or you outsource it, this activity should be the primary focus of this individual.  You are brilliant at the work that you do.  You generally don’t have the time nor capacity to be brilliant at your specialty and at something else.  If you wear too many hats, you tend to be just good (or ok) at one or the other.  It makes sense to bring in the experts to fill the spaces your business needs to launch to the next level, so you can focus on the things you love doing.




How does all of this tie into “filling your bellies”? the more you build your brand, you build the relationships with your viewers.   Once they “like” your page, they get to “know” you, once they get to know you, you have the opportunity to build “trust”, and with trust business happens.







Thank you for the opportunity to “FEED” your business!  Let’s FEAST!


~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Hollie Clere

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

http://www.socialpowerprogram.com/

Curious on whether your social brand is built properly?  Get your Social Media Analysis today. 
 


http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/Social_Media_Analysis.html


Monday, November 3, 2014

How Google+ is different from other Social Platforms

http://thesocialmediaadvisor.com/google_.html

One of the questions we are frequently asked, “How is Google+ different than other platforms?” The answer is simple but yet complex.  When you think of a social  media platform such as Google +, you should consider your target market.

First and foremost, is your target market present in the social media space you are looking to use?

Let’s consider Facebook … How many users use Facebook for personal use? We have found that various users utilize Facebook on a daily basis from CEOs of large corporations to people that take care of their loved ones on a day to day basis. Your audience is not only vast, but people use it for personal use which bleeds into professional use.  There are Executives to Home Makers that use this platform daily to get information about personal and professional uses, though the majority of users engage on a personal level.

Let’s consider LinkedIn … This platform is engineered to tailor to the people who use it primarily for business related connections.  You won’t generally see status updates of people sharing images of their children, their pets or their day to day happenings, but you will see interactions on professional activities such as events, industry related articles and company business.

Let’s consider Google+ ...You will see a wide variety of users who conduct Professional and Personal interactions, This platform is the happy medium between the active Facebook and LinkedIn users.  Both types of activity are accepted in this platform and there is many reasons to do so.

Google+ has options for:
  1. Share, Comment and +1(which are your known likes in the other 2 platforms)
  2. Hangouts - which are you alternative for online group meetings (with limited numbers) for video and chat sharing conversations (with options of recording)
  3. Communities (or groups) for deeper conversation to build credibility and relationship with users in a more private setting.

Want to consider the best of both worlds? Are your clients present in Google+?  With over 4 million users, it is very possible.

Added benefit: Status updates posted to your Company Google+ profile are searchable in THE GOOGLE (as some say).  Can you pay for that type of visibility?  Not sure that FREE Google search results are options for you, but they are for me and I have enjoyed the traffic I have gotten from it.

Consider trying it on. But, build your profile with a lot of meat and plan to commit to consistent activity. You may find a deeper reach than you had planned for.

My 2 cents, for what it’s worth.


~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Hollie Clere

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

http://www.socialpowerprogram.com/

Curious on whether your social brand is built properly?  Get your Social Media Analysis today. 
 


http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/Social_Media_Analysis.html


Monday, October 27, 2014

Fun classes teaching strategy in LinkedIn Prospecting

http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/LinkedIn_Training.html

Over the last few months our team has taken some time to teach strategies using LinkedIn by reaching further to a niche, developing specific messages and building relationships.  It has been wonderful to dive into businesses landscapes in a variety of industries even deeper by incorporating some techniques our team has used for years to get to know others.  Combined with Goal Setting Techniques offered by Business Coach and Accountability Partner, Sabina Claus, LLC.

Have you been keeping up with your Business Goals over the summer? Are you needing to grow your business through prospecting techniques using LinkedIn? Kickstart your next quarter in this class which we’ll teach you strategies to get business using LinkedIn and set attainable Goals and implement successful strategies in LinkedIn that will help your business thrive in the next few months.

It is designed for Business Owners, Sales Teams, Marketing Teams, Executives in a variety of levels, Administrative Support and Office Management Partners.

We have been thinking of offering this as a Webinar as well.  What are your thoughts?  Is an online class something you would want to participate in?

Let us know!
~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Hollie Clere

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

http://www.socialpowerprogram.com/

Curious on whether your social brand is built properly?  Get your Social Media Analysis today. 
 


http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/Social_Media_Analysis.html


Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Denver Entrepreneurs Business Builders Radio Show


 http://milehiradio.com/shows.cfm?id=85A12333-F65A-9F23-CF56DE3D70DC9F96

Greetings friends!

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with Sabina Claus, LLC, a Business Coaching, Consulting and Accountability Partner Team to host:

The Denver Entrepreneurs Building A Successful Business Radio Show weekly on Wednesdays from 3-4pm MST.  Each week we will be inviting guests who have built successful businesses in Colorado, talk about the techniques and things they have learned along the way and also feature some tips and tactics in Social Media and Goal Setting you can use in your business!  

We learned the ropes of the Radio Show today and our featured highlight can be heard on 8/27 9am show at: http://milehiradio.com/shows.cfm?id=F745FB99-D388-CEE0-A100730CCECC66CA

If you have a successful business and are interested in getting featured, let us know.  We have some great opportunities to feature you as our guest and for marketing that exposure as well!

There are also advertizing opportunities for 30 second spots available as well.  These spots will be highlighted commercials throughout our show and other shows on the MileHiRadio network each week.  A 6 month commercial spot is as little as $100/month and your exposure to listeners is over 280K and growing on a monthly basis.  Additionally, as each commercial is featured on the radio shows, each of them are mp3 downloadable for use of promoting on websites, social media and other online means.  

*** These are both fabulous opportunities for exposure.

To learn more about your hosts, visit:

http://milehiradio.com/shows.cfm?id=85A12333-F65A-9F23-CF56DE3D70DC9F96
 


~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 


Hollie Clere

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

http://www.socialpowerprogram.com/

Curious on whether your social brand is built properly?  Get your Social Media Analysis today. 
 


http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/Social_Media_Analysis.html


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Adults Ages 18-34 Access YouTube More than Cable

 


YouTube released that according to Nielsen, out of the 6 Billion Hours of Video watched each month, in the United States, user between the ages to 18-34 use YouTube more than cable.

It is no secret that videos on YouTube tend to be more viral than any other network.  The probability of you reaching your target demographic is higher in this age group if you have a video on YouTube.  Additionally, YouTube has users from 61 countries in 61 languages with over 40% of activity coming from mobile devices.  Video tells a story and will give your viewer the opportunity to get to know you faster than reading a blog.

Although the average length of videos on YouTube are 4 minutes and 12 seconds, If you can keep your video to under 1 minute, you may have a higher view rate due to amount of time available from your viewers.

As a YouTube user, I continually look at the length in the details of the video.  Do I have 53 minutes to dedicate to this video or do I have 2?  You may find that as a user, you search the same way.  The amount of views on a video keeps me cautions from time to time, but more so the title, time and description will capture my attention first.  

What plans do you have for incorporating video?  If you haven’t considered it yet, you may be missing out on a large demographic for people looking for you and/or know someone who is.

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Hollie Clere

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

http://www.socialpowerprogram.com/

Curious on whether your social brand is built properly?  Get your Social Media Analysis today. 
 


http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/Social_Media_Analysis.html


Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Trends with Facebook Users on Mobile Devices


 
According to research reported from multiple Facebook bloggers in a recent Google search, there are over 189 Million Users who access their Facebook via “mobile only” devices (one reference: huffingtonpost).  As of January 2014, Facebook surpassed 1.23 Billion ACTIVE users (http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2014/01/29/facebook-passes-1-23-billion-monthly-active-users-945-million-mobile-users-757-million-daily-users/).  That is an astonishing number honestly, but it proves a point with the things that we share.

Are you more inclined to post a story with your users on your Fan Pages or more inclined to post something with a link, image or even better yet … a link with an image?  Well, it is a fact that it takes more work to put together a post that has a link with an image included, while it is easier to share a string of text instead.  What you may want to consider is the fact that it is human nature to visually attract your attention to something of color than text.  If this blog was in video, you may or may not watch it verses reading instead.  More users will be attracted to a video than text. More users will be attracted to images than text.  These are psycological facts.  It is simple to text this theory.  Test your self. I challenge you to scroll through the most recent … 200 posts on your newsfeed in 15 minutes.  It wouldn’t be a challenge if it were easy right?  Setup your timer, select 15 minutes, then spend time reading each and every post in your news feed up to 200.

If you actually want to complete the challenge, please do so, otherwise, I will provide you with some thoughts that you may have had during your “scroll”.

READY GO!!

You may find that due to your time crunch, you are limited to a certain amount of posts.  This in turn will limit you to what you are reading (in text), which will limit your possibility for engagement (like, share, comment).  You probably scrolled past most updates in your news feed unless it was an update from someone important to you or started off with something really compelling.  The next posts you looked at had an image with a headline that either drew you in or turned you away.  Then you look at the poster to make sure you feel they are credible before clicking the link and now you are on a different page all together and need to go back to Facebook.  You may or may not be inclined to share this post but you may be more inclined to like it based off of the Heading or based off of the actual material.

Case in point … we strongly recommend that you include images and links (not in every post) but try it on.  You may find your engagement increasing.  Mobile users definitely have less time than desktop users. They may be in between events, meetings or checking Facebook to pass the time.  You don’t want to lose the attention of your followers by not offering up an attractive update.

Two cents - for what its worth.



~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 

Hollie Clere

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

http://www.socialpowerprogram.com/

Curious on whether your social brand is built properly?  Get your Social Media Analysis today. 
 


http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/Social_Media_Analysis.html


Saturday, August 23, 2014

LinkedIn Users Increasing by the Second - Are you missing the boat?



According to LinkedIn, there are 2 new users who register for a LinkedIn profile every second. What does that mean for you?  Is your profile robust and easily found on the network?  Do you have strategies in place to reach out, connect and build relationships?



Many of our clients offer B2B solutions in their business.  When LinkedIn is used properly, on average, over 47% of their business coming from relationships they have harvested from LinkedIn from strategic partnerships, prospecting tactics and building like, know, trust with potential and existing clients.
 
By incorporating strategic strategies into sales processes, our clients have closed hundreds of thousands of dollars in business from relationships they have maintained by using LinkedIn.

When I developed my business over 11 years ago, I incorporated LinkedIn into my marketing portfolio and built my entire professional services business from the relationships I obtained from LinkedIn.  

Where do you find your business in this social media strategy?

Do you find yourself with any of these thoughts?
 
- I have a LinkedIn profile, but haven’t done much with is
- I have never closed business from a contact I met on LinkedIn
- I don’t really understand how to best start a conversation on LinkedIn
- What are Company Pages?
- Why would I participate in Group Conversations?
- I get requests to connect and don’t know how best to respond
- I don’t know if my profile is setup to drive traffic to my LinkedIn account for my niche and target market

We would love to connect to you and provide for you an analysis of your online activity.  Learn more here: http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/Social_Media_Analysis.html



~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 


Hollie Clere

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

http://www.socialpowerprogram.com/

Curious on whether your social brand is built properly?  Get your Social Media Analysis today. 
 


http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/Social_Media_Analysis.html


ALS Awareness & Fundraising for Ice Bucket Challenge using Social Media


Surely you have seen the hype of the #IceBucketChallenge to spread awareness of ALS.  Like me, you may have enjoyed in watching people drench themselves with ice cold water, or even participated in donations.

I watched this challenge unfold, was intimated and excited to see my name get mentioned on Facebook for the challenge. At first; feeling intimidated because of the cold water (then next the thought of how great it might feel in the summer heat).  Our family decided to donate in conjunction with the ice drenching challenge.

Much like some (or most of you), I had to look up ALS. My children and i needed to understand the reason why this was a challenge and what ALS actually meant.

I am not going to provide you with my perspective of my own understanding, but I hope the following links will help you.

Throughout Social Media people have been sharing success and fail videos of their challenge. the ultimate goal … awareness of this disorder and raising money to assist in research for a cure.  As of today, it isn’t curable, but with funding, there are hopes that it can be.

I will warn you that both of these shares have humbled me and put in realistic perspective what ALS people are going through. I pray, hope, wish and am hopeful that there is a cure sooner than later.  And for social media …. well done on getting a massive campaign  visible to those of us who were unaware.

I would encourage you to donate to the organizations you feel would most benefit from research.  This week closed with $41 million dollars in donations, over the $1.9 million raised last year.  We donate to many causes and this one has been added to our list.  Thank you for awareness and the fun way to spread the word. We are humbled by the stories of those who struggle with ALS and pray for a cure beside you.

Informational Blog on what ALS feels like:

Story of Pete, Frates, a young man struggling with ALS:

Information on the current donation numbers:

How you can donate:

~ Social Media is changing the way people do business.  Don't get left behind ~ 
Hollie Clere

Hollie Clere, of The Social Media Advisor is a social media manager, trainer and author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+ , Pinterest and the tools to manage them. Click here for her Social Media Links

http://www.socialpowerprogram.com/

Curious on whether your social brand is built properly?  Get your Social Media Analysis today. 
 


http://www.thesocialmediaadvisor.com/Social_Media_Analysis.html