Archive for October, 2009
Upcoming: Four Social Media Workshops in Charlotte
I’m delighted to be teaming up with Lori Ives-Godwin of Your Community Connector on a series of social media workshops for Charlotte’s holistic community. Your Community Connector is sponsoring four mini bootcamps beginning in November:
Facebook for Your Business
Twitter for Your Business
Beyond Facebook and Twitter: Other Social Media Tools for Your Business
It’s Not About the Tools…It’s [...]
Turn Google Reader Into a Content Sharing Workhorse
Sharing good content is a heckuva smart social media strategy. But how do you share a blog post or article with audiences scattered across multiple networks?
I post content directly from Google Reader to Delicious, Friendfeed and Twitter in a single motion. The step-by-step configuration instructions are below, but first read these five reasons not to [...]
12-Step Social Media Readiness Test
Lots of companies want to take advantage of social media. But is your company ready for social media?
It’s tempting to jump and “get your feet wet.” Experimentation is a good thing — I don’t want to discourage you. But before you start flinging profiles up all over the web, take a second to assess your preparedness.
Do [...]
The Ghost-Blogging Debate Ain’t Going Away, Folks
Transparency isn’t about seeing the man behind the curtain. It’s about trusting the Wizard to take you back to Kansas like he promised.
35 Conversation Starters to Deepen Your Network
The #1 challenge for social networking newbies isn’t creating a profile. It’s not learning the mechanics of Twitter. It’s relating to people.
The power of social networking comes from conversing with people, not following them. But getting to know someone can be daunting (even to me!). We humans have a hard time being human.
Here are 35 [...]
5 Reasons Not to Automate Your Social Media Program
There are good reasons to automate parts of your social media program — efficiency, expanded reach, sanity. But there are also good reasons to avoid over-automation.
Here are five reasons to rein in your social media automation:
Machines Make Mistakes
Let’s say you’re a restaurant owner. You set up an auto-responder that searches Tweets for the keyword “hungry” [...]
Step Away From the Twitter or I’ll Shoot
I’m talking to you, Mr. Business Owner. I see you creating a Twitter account over there. Step away from the Twitter or I’ll shoot.
Casting Call: Social Businesses to the Stage, Please
Diving into social media as a business owner is scary…like auditioning for a high school play.
You creep out…slowly. Your palms are sweaty. Your throat is dry. All eyes are on you. You feel as though you’re being judged — and you are. Your mind races as you search for your lines. What was I supposed [...]
Email Marketing Strives to Compete with Social Media
71% of email marketers say competing with social media for readers’ time and attention will be a top challenge.
This is despite the fact that “social media use makes people consume more email, not less,” according to Nielsen.
Email and Social Media Shouldn’t Compete — They Should Team Up
A few thoughts immediately jump out at me:
If you’re [...]
Learning Social Business From a Greasy Auto Mechanic
Gerry Purdy, the grease-under-his-nails and Foxworthy-esque automechanic, and my father the elevator repairman were better at social business 15 years ago than most companies are today.
Including mine.
Scott Hepburn is a veteran PR and marketing professional. He blogs here about marketing, PR, advertising, journalism and social media.