Tag Archives: Facebook

Social Media Marketing – George Brown College

social media marketing
social media marketing

This past winter I had the privilege to teach my first ever course at George Brown: Twitter Marketing. Well, it seems my students liked me enough that the powers that be at George Brown College have agreed to have me teach the Social Media Marketing courseWe’ll go through some social media history, take an in depth look at the popular tools of the day, and empower students to be able to create a social media strategy.

There’s still some space if you’re interested in registering. Classes start soon!

 

The dichotomy of social media

Last week, Facebook Canada released data on how people and brands are using its platform and interacting with one another.  When we think of people using Facebook we tend to think that people are connecting to their friends and family. And most brands tend to use Facebook to market/sell their wares.

However, there are those people who use Facebook for motives that are not as simple. And the same goes for brands. How people use Facebook (and social media in general) is a topic for another blog post in the not too distant future.

Personally, I “follow” brands to learn. I want to learn how they talk to their audience. I want to learn how they market to potential customers. I want to learn what they say during times of crisis as well as when things are looking great.

Two brands I follow are The YMCA and Flight Centre. And for very different reasons. Flight Centre has a strong team here in Toronto led by the very capable Gregg Tilston. YMCA does an amazing job on social media. Their content is very engaging.  And, of course, they are accomplishing two very different things.

Today, their posts found themselves together, one on top of the other.

Screen Shot 2013-08-19 at 11.31.26 AM

And these two message could not be any more different. YMCA highlighted the fact that many people in Ontario face: how to make ends meet.  Flight Centre posted an aspirational message.

Two very different, yet effective, uses of social media.

#FollowFriday: Gregg Tilston – Taking Flight with Social Media

One of the first people I started to look up to in my journey in this social media world was Gregg Tilston. I can’t remember what is was but he always been one of those people in the community that had time to give back.

Gregg is not only the social media lead for Flight Centre globally, but he is also active with Movember in Toronto. And if you’re a good guy, you might even be fortunate to share a beer, coffee or meal with him.

One of the reason’s I looked up to Greg in the first place was his understanding of the digital space and his constant thirst for knowledge. Here’s a conversation I had with Gregg. We discussed strategy, analytics, security, and of course, Klout.

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J4UQAMfYQU&w=560&h=315]

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.

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.

 

Think Like Zuck: Five Business Secrets of Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg

The following is a guest post by Ekaterina Walter:

With over one billion users, Facebook has become the world’s largest social networking site. Its story is incredible: from its foundation only eight years ago it has changed the way people communicate, connect and share information. Facebook has become part of our daily lives and routines. How has Mark Zuckerberg created such a successful company and become one of the great business leaders of our time, and what can we learn from him?

1. Passion

“Find that thing you are super passionate about.”

– Mark Zuckerberg

Successful entrepreneurs come from all walks of life and from all personality types. But one thing they all share is passion. Passion is what drives you to keep trying despite all the setbacks you encounter and to turn failure into a learning experience. Mark Zuckerberg’s passion is using technology to bring people together; Steve Jobs’ passion was to build revolutionary products; Richard Branson’s passion is to build companies he is proud of; Oprah Winfrey’s passion is communication. Passion is essential for success, no matter what type of business you create.

2. Purpose

“People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.”

– Simon Sinek, Start with Why

Long-term customer loyalty comes from your company’s purpose. Having a purpose drives the choices a company makes, from the people it hires, the way it markets a product, the materials it uses, as well as the products it makes. Apple’s products are not the cheapest on the market, but they have inspired great customer loyalty because Apple’s purpose – to create stylish, intuitive products that change the way we use technology – is so clear in everything they do. Ben & Jerry’s have a similarly clear purpose: to create ethical, imaginatively-flavored ice cream, and fans eagerly await their next product idea. Facebook’s purpose to connect people in the simplest way possible has driven their most popular design innovations and turned social networking into a daily habit for hundreds of millions of people.

3. People

The most innovative companies allow their employees the freedom to develop their interests and to take risks. Facebook have an interview process that only selects new employees who are the right fit for the company’s culture. Once they are in, they take part in intensive training that teaches them the ‘hacker way’ of fast, creative coding that Zuckerberg prizes. Companies like Facebook, Apple and Zappos have created a culture that empowers courage of conviction, freedom of speech, and action. This comes from strong leadership that leads by example.

Herb Kelleher, the visionary behind Southwest Airlines, puts it this way: “Employees come first and if employees are treated right, they treat the outside world right, the outside world uses the company’s product again, and that makes the shareholders happy. That really is the way that it works and it’s not a conundrum at all.”

4. Product

Mark Zuckerberg has created a product that fulfills his passion for connecting people, one that is changing the way communities communicate. Successful entrepreneurs build their product on three principles: their passion, the purpose of the company, and the right people and partnerships. The fact that Zuckerberg walked away from lucrative offers to buy his company early on shows that he believed in his long-term vision for his product, a vision that has driven many of the changes to Facebook over the years and kept it relevant to the needs of its users. As Zuckerberg continues to say to his critics and stakeholders, “I’m here to build something for the long term. Anything else is a distraction.”

5. Partnerships

Partnerships that work are based on clear expectations, shared values, mutual trust, a fair exchange of value, complementary strengths, commitment, and mutual respect. This can be seen in the partnership of Mark Zuckerberg and his COO, Sheryl Sandberg, who has been key to Facebook’s prosperity.

Strong partnerships have been the foundation for many successful companies, from Ben & Jerry to the Warner Brothers, Hewlett and Packard, Sears and Roebuck, McGraw and Hill, or the team behind CollegeHumor. Partnerships could be based on two or more founders, or else finding the right suppliers, distributors, or investors.

Mark Zuckerberg has challenged the traditional blueprint for successful business leadership, and become the 29th richest person in the world with his company. As the way we use the internet around the world continues to change, Facebook will continue to be at the forefront of social media technology, ensuring Zuckerberg’s success into the future.

About the author:

Ekaterina Walter is a social media strategist and innovator at Intel. She is an author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller “Think Like Zuck: The Five Business Secrets of Facebook’s Improbably Brilliant CEO Mark Zuckerberg”. A recognized business and marketing thought leader, she is a sought-after speaker and a regular contributor to leading-edge print and online publications. She has been featured in a number of prestigious publications and in 2012 was named among 25 Women Who Rock Social Media. She sits on a Board of Directors of Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) and is an active member of the Thunderbird Global Council at Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Twitter: @Ekaterina

Blog: www.ekaterinawalter.com

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?

BizMedia surprises me with a visit

I was going to make the title of this post, “The ROI of a Facebook like is $500.”  But then that would defeat the purpose of this blog post and video.

Last week Dan Demsky (head of BizMedia Agency) sent me an email saying that he needed to meet up with me to chat. I’ve known Dan for a couple of years now so finding time to meet him was no problem. But I was curious why he wasn’t specific on why he wanted to meet me. Being a business owner I thought he wanted to possibly chat about collaborating (which I still hope happens, Dan!).

So last Friday, Dan and I agreed to meet up at The Work Republic in in Toronto just south of Steeles.  Little did I know why.  And yes it was a surprise. Watch below.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcEVrrgId9g]

Dan, thanks so much for the surprise. If all I got was a hug for being BizMedia’s 500th fan, I would have been just as surprised, excited and happy. More than that you made me feel important. Important enough that you hired a PINK limousine to drive north of the 401. With or without Facebook, I will always be a fan of you, your team and the work that you do.