Tag Archives: Marketing

digital media, social media

Marketing with Hootsuite

One of the questions I most get asked is how can professionals and small businesses use social media effectively. After a while I began to understand is they were really asking, “How can I use social media for marketing and sales?”

Great question. The easy answer is to listen to a need and fill it.

Here’s some tactics that I’ve employed on social media to help me market myself and our digital communications agency.

Listen. What are people asking for? What are they complaining about? What are potential customers saying and how can I help them?

Provide value. Are you filling the needs that you’ve identified while listening? Share with these people tips, best practices, and content they can use to enrich their own lives.

Lead them to the promised land. After you;ve provided value based on needs (over time) you will begin to earn trust with them. And this is where you can then suggest to your online community the actual products and services that you have available to them.

And how does HootSuite help us execute these simple steps: Simple. The HootSuite tool and dashboard allows me to listen to conversations on various social media channels and helps me to publish (provide value) content to these channels and accounts. I can also use the easy-to-use reporting and analytics tools to measure how effective we’ve been on social.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0CZS3SYVeQ?rel=0&w=640&h=360]

digital media, social media

thirdoceanTV: Social Wisdom with Laurie Dillon-Schalk

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to “interview” one of Canada’s top digital strategists and planners: Laurie Dillon-Schalk who is currently with DraftFCB’s Toronto office.  To be fair to Laurie, I think I learned more about the social/digital space during our conversation than the amount of awareness we might have generated for her and her work.

So, thank you Laurie for your time and your generosity. If you ever have a moment with her, don’t take her for granted.

The original post of our conversation (including notes) appeared on our social media agency website.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7l-SfiAzh0?rel=0&w=640&h=360]

social media, twitter

HootSuite vs Buffer

Earlier this month I conducted a non-scientific analysis comparing two social media publication tools: HootSuite and Buffer. To set the stage here are some facts:

  • The social media agency that I am a partner of is a paying HootSuite client.
  • I use HootSuite (not just for business) to publish to a variety of platforms including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
  • I use HootSuite to publish in real time as well as push out scheduled messages.
  • I have used the free version of Buffer (sparingly) to send out scheduled tweets.

I scheduled 10 identical tweets on both platforms between the dates of Monday, March 4 2013 – Wednesday, March 6 2013.

HootSuite’s schedule engine heavily loaded the tweets on Monday. Buffer scheduled 4 on Monday, 4 on Tuesday and 2 on Wednesday. Here are the results:

  • 4 tweets from HootSuite had no clicks.
  • HootSuite’s analytics (unless I’m missing something) didn’t share how many RTs or mentions the tweets received.
  • The 10 tweets sent through HootSuite’s scheduled feature received a total of 33 clicks; the highest tweet received 14 clicks and was about Toronto’s Community Managers.
  • Every tweet sent through Buffer received at least 1 click.
  • The average tweet sent through Buffer received 6.5 clicks.
  • The most popular tweets each received 12 clicks (Toronto’s Community Managers, Co-working Spaces in Toronto, and an interview with Gregg Tilston of Flight Centre).
  • The Co-working tweet also received 1 RT and 1 mention.
  • In total, the tweets sent through Buffer received 2 RTs, 1 mention and 65 clicks

Conclusion:

Use Buffer to send out more than 4 scheduled tweets at once. The platform will ensure they are spread out evenly. What will I do? I will continue to use HootSuite. Scheduling has benefits (as seen above) but I also place a high level of importance on engagement, monitoring, moderating and searching for conversations and topics. These are things that provide me with personal and business value.

digital media, social media

What Does The New Facebook News Feed Mean To You? (an early look)

Earlier today Facebook announced upcoming changes to their news feed:

We’ve completely rebuilt each story to be much more vibrant and colorful and highlight the content that your friends are sharing. Photos, news articles, maps and events all look brighter and more beautiful.

Users will also be able to further customize their news feed experience:

To make sure you’re seeing all the stories you want to see, we’re introducing several new feeds to explore in addition to the same News Feed you have today:

– All Friends – a feed that shows you everything your friends are sharing

– Photos – a feed with nothing but photos from your friends and the Pages you like

– Music – a feed with posts about the music you listen to

– Following – a feed with the latest news from the Pages you like and the people you follow.

So what does this all mean for you?

Content reigns supreme.  

I know you’ve heard this story before. But now, more than ever, this is true. And for a couple of reasons too. 

  1. Photos. Facebook is going to have a news feed dedicated to photos. Your need to understand this if your personal page or brand page is looking to increase or maintain engagement. Sharing a link to a photo will not cut it anymore. You will now NEED to upload photos and share them this way. I also suggest using creative and compelling photos with a focus on great stories and superb quality.  Facebook will not change EdgeRank.  If your content is not shared, liked or commented on, you will find your content not being engaging. And if you’re a brand that means you’ll be spending more financial resources on ads than you should be.
  2. Engaging content. This includes content such as photos, videos, and even polls for instance. The only way to know what is engaging your friends or community is to read the numbers. What is your data saying? If you’re sharing content with friends, do your friends engage with your content or are you left wondering if anyone saw anything? If you manage a brand’s page take a look at your Facebook insights. What are they telling you? What types of content is being shared the most? Which content has high virality numbers?  

These are just a couple of reasons you need to pay attention to Facebook’s new news feed design. Over the next few days, more articles and thoughts are sure to be shared online and on social media. What are your thoughts on Facebook’s newly designed news feed? Share your comments.

 

digital media, social media, twitter

thirdoceanTV – in conversation with Andrew Jenkins

The following interview with Andrew Jenkins first appeared on the thirdocean website. As many of you now know, thirdocean is a boutique social media and digital communications agency that I am partner with. I also have the privilege of being the host of program called thirdoceanTV.

Andrew Jenkins is an emerging technology strategist with Volterra Consulting. Over the last five years, social media strategy has become an increasingly larger part of the work that he does. His focus goes beyond social media campaigns to the “operationalization” of social media and the ongoing efforts required to turn an organization into a social enterprise.

In this full episode, Andrew chats with me about:

– How he shifted from ICT consulting to social media consulting
– What is a social enterprise and what does it mean to operationalize social media
– Why banks and other financial institutions are interested in social media
– How banks measure Return On Investment (ROI)
– Why Twitter as a utility has become important
– What innovations we can expect in 2013

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJx_1UrAX-0?rel=0]

Connect with Andrew Jenkins on his website at www.VolterraConsulting.com and on Twitter at @ajenkins.

Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel and stay up to date with our conversations with North America’s leaders in Social Media and Digital Communications. Follow us on Twitter @wearethirdocean, and Like us on Facebook.

digital media, social media

thirdoceanTV – in conversation with Jaime Stein

The following interview first appeared on the thirdocean website. thirdocean is a boutique social media and digital communications agency that I am partner with.  I also have the privilege of being the host of  program called thirdoceanTV.

This year’s first guest is Jaime Stein of ING.  Jaime currently leads the social media strategy for ING DIRECT here in Canada. Prior to that he was the Canadian Football League’s head of digital and social media where he was in charge of content strategy for CFL.ca.  Jaime also launched the CFL’s involvement in social media.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=424rS2CWqu4?rel=0]

You can follow Jaime Stein on Twitter and on his website.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and stay up to date with our conversations with North America’s leaders in Social Media and Digital Communications. Follow us on Twitter @wearethirdocean, and Like us on Facebook.

Uncategorized

How do you use Facebook?

I was asked this question from my cousin last night. It was an interesting question in that it has been a while since anyone has asked me this question. As a result, also surprisingly, I didn’t know how to answer him. He wasn’t asking how I use Facebook for business but for myself.

It was a question I had to think about for a minute. Then I realized. I actually use it for business. Or more specifically, I use Facebook (and all social media tools/platforms) to brand myself as someone who understands and is on top of what is happening in the digital world. I won my own business, so this is important to me.

I want to understand what is happening in mobile, digital, location, social and marketing in general. And if I find anything interesting, I want to share this. And if people see I’m sharing this information then they are going to believe that I am an expert of sorts.

However, I also want people (friends, family, business associates, connections and potential clients/partners) to know that I’m actually a human being with”likes” and hobbies and a life. So I’ll also post stuff about Neil Young, my travels and even my family.

It’s really all about branding.  I want people to be able to see me online and answer the question, “Who is Karim Kanji?” Even if they answer, “I’m not sure, but he sure is interesting” then I’ve also met my objective.

How do you use Facebook?

digital media, social media, twitter

Social Media Masters: Toronto

Unlike traditional events that attempt to satisfy the needs of all levels of practitioners, the Social Media Masters Series goes beyond typical introductory courses, and provides advanced social media sessions for practitioners from true social media Masters. With the Social Media Masters Series, we are progressing the social media dialogue from the “why” to a more technical understanding of how to execute social media programs in key areas with an emphasis on engagement marketing.

Produced by Social Media Club, the world’s leading association of social media professionals and Sensei Marketing, a firm specializing in customer acquisition and social engagement for the enterprise, Social Media Masters is a premium event for leading brands and social media strategists.

The event takes place this Friday, October 7th in Toronto.

If you are a Social Media Professional wanting to take your skills to the next level, or an online marketer expanding your capabilities, this program is your chance to go beyond a typical introductory course and get advanced training from true Social Media Masters. This conference is a unique opportunity to develop your own mastery of social media for Marketing and Communications, with an emphasis on engagement. Whether you are in charge of a department in a large organization, you are responsible for multiple clients within an agency, or you are an independent professional deepening your skills and knowledge, this event will help you advance your career and accomplish your goals in key areas of social media marketing.

Produced by Social Media Club, the world’s leading association of Social Media Professionals and Sensei Marketing, a firm specializing in customer acquisition and social engagement for the enterprise, Social Media Masters is a premium event for leading brands and social media strategists.

Register today and save 20% by using code ‘karim’.  Social Media Club is also hosting a cocktail party the night before. You can register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2275211218.

See you there!

digital media, social media, twitter

5 Questions with Mitch Joel

Marketing Magazine dubbed him the “Rock Star of Digital Marketing” and called him, “one of North America’s leading digital visionaries.” In 2006 he was named one of the most influential authorities on Blog Marketing in the world. In 2008, Mitch was named Canada’s Most Influential Male in Social Media, one of the top 100 online marketers in the world, and was awarded the highly prestigious Canada’s Top 40 Under 40. Most recently, Mitch was named one of iMedia’s 25 Internet Marketing Leaders and Innovators in the world.

Joel is frequently called upon to be a subject matter expert for Huffington Post, BusinessWeek, Fast Company, Marketing Magazine, Profit, Strategy, Money, The Globe & Mail and many other media outlets. His newspaper business column, New Business – Six Pixels of Separation, runs bi-monthly in both The Montreal Gazette and Vancouver Sun. His first book, Six Pixels of Separation (published by Grand Central Publishing – Hachette Book Group), named after his successful Blog and Podcast is a business and marketing bestseller.

You can hear him speak tomorrow in Toronto at the Science and Art of Social Business conference.

What motivates you to do what you do on a daily basis?

A love and a passion for marketing, communications and new media. While others watch dance competitions on TV, I love to read the Blogs, tweet the tweets and fumble around on Facebook. Some call it work… I call it love. I also wake up every morning and I’m thrilled that I’m back

If you had 30 seconds to impart your wisdom on a classroom of soon-to-be graduates, what would you say?

I would tell them to read this:

http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/what-advice-would-you-give-yourself-as-an-industry-rookie-given-what-you-know-today/

In your opinion, what has been one of the most important technological developments over the past 12 months?

The growth of tablets and iPad in particular. Now, we just need the usability and new marketing excitement to catch up!

If you had a crystal ball, what would you say will be the most important technological development over the next 12 months?

The continued growth of touch and I’m hopeful we move toward complete connectivity (a hybrid of wi-fi and an even faster LTE network).

Who is one of Canada’s tech stars and why?

I think the folks at Radian6 deserve a big standing ovation.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zQnfnKBZLg]