The Latest on Social Media

What's the latest buzz on social media for businesses, freelancers and nonprofits? Here are some articles I've bookmarked in the last two months.

Demographics

Top 15 Most Popular Social Networking Sites | June 2014
(eBiz | MBA Guide)
Official numbers for June. Who's on top?

Facebook Still Reigns Supreme Among Young Adults
(Mashable, by Andrea Romano)
Up-to-date stats for those who want to reach teens.

Issues & Opinions

Facebook Is Throttling Nonprofits and Activists
(ValleyWag, B. Traven)
An op-ed on the implications of Facebook's projected move to 99% paid posts.

6 Key Shifts in Thinking About Social Media
(Entrepreneur Magazine, Donna Moritz)
Is blogging coming back? What about Google+? Here is an expert's look at what's coming down the pike.

For Beginners

50 Expert Tips for Getting Started on Social Media
(Ryan Pinkham, Constant Contact)
What experts want beginners to know.

5 Ways to Establish Your Voice on Facebook
(Jesse Aaron, Social Media Examiner)
Is "being human" online harder that it sounds? This may help.

Pinterest Reveals The Most Popular Categories On Each Day Of The Week
(Search Engine Journal, by Matt Southern)
If you've been considering having themed posts on different days of the week, this might give you some ideas.

6 Steps to Build a Social Listening Dashboard
(Marcela De Vivo, Social Media Examiner)
Even if you decide not to maintain an account, It is important to establish listening posts to discover how people are talking about your business (or your competition!)

The Best Free Stock Image Resources on the Web
(Courtney Seiter, TNW)
So images are super-important these days, what if you're not a great photographer? Where can you find images on a budget?

Advanced Help

Twitter Launches An Interactive Guide To Help Small Businesses Reach Their Goals
(Matt Southern, Search Engine Journal)
A new, official guide to business uses of Twitter.

60 Awesome Social-Media Tools for Entrepreneurs
(Jeff Haden, Inc. Magazine)
Are you ready to begin using a management tool for your accounts?

Essential Social Media Design & Sizing Cheatsheet
(Salman Aslam, Omnicore)
Help sizing images for a BUNCH of social media platforms.


Four nifty ways to display and curate Twitter
(Joyce Valenza, School Library Journal)
One advantage of Twitter is how reusable your posts are. Take a look!

Twitter Photo Tips: The Ultimate Guide For Social Marketers in 2014
(Laura Roeder, LKR Social Media)
Twitter is more visual now! Here are some basics about the new best practices.

6 Ways to Get More Pinterest Followers
(Zoe Waldron, Social Media Examiner)
Make your Pinterest presence stronger.

Social Media News Roundup

There is tremendous buzz in social media circles over recent changes at Facebook and Twitter. Twitter is changing its interface to be more like Facebook, and Facebook (in addition to visual changes of its own), has been showing our Page posts to fewer and fewer people. The day is coming, we believe, when all page posts will have to pay to be seen; will you pay? Or move your activity to Twitter or Google+?

Here is a roundup of what we've been reading:

Social Media Strategies

• 26 Engaging Content Ideas for Social Media (Social Media Today)
• Post Smarter: The Best Times to Use Social Platforms (Entrepreneur)

Decline of Free Facebook Reach

• Is Facebook Too Big to Care? (New York Times' Bits Blog)
• Facebook is gradually eliminating organic reach for brands. Obviously. (Pando Daily)
• Why Is Facebook Page Reach Decreasing? More Competition And Limited Attention (TechCrunch)
• Your Facebook Page's Organic Reach Is About to Plummet (Social Media Today)

Facebook Management

• 5 Facebook Page Tools to Improve Your Page Management (Social Media Examiner)

Reconsidering Google+

• Study: Fan Engagement On Google+ Narrowly Trails Facebook, Nearly Doubles Twitter (Marketing Land)
• Report: Google+ Brand Posts Get Twice the Engagement of Tweets (Mashable)
• Google Plus Adds View Count to Profiles and Pages (The Social Media Hat)

Twitter Tips

• 14 Ways to Write a Customer-Gripping Tweet (Konrad Sanders for Andrea Vahl)

Twitter's Redesign

• Twitter redesign looks a lot like Facebook (The Verge)
• Coming soon: a whole new you, in your Twitter profile (Twitter blog)

Highlights from the "Building the Buzz" panel

We enjoyed the topic (and each other) so much that we stayed nearly an hour later than scheduled. I'm still buzzing with ideas. Big Catalina-size thanks to Kade Mislinski from HUB, Mia Schnaible from The Screening Room, Patricia Katchur from Yikes! Toys, and Shanali Davila from Cup Quequitos for their candor and generosity with their time and knowledge.

Here are highlights (at least what I remember).

Kade Mislinski (HUB) told us that the launch campaign for his HUB Restaurant was a necessity, especially early on, because his funding hadn't fully come through. Facebook gave him a way to share their progress that only cost him his time. Once the building renovation began, the Facebook page turned into a chronicle of the building itself and the history they were uncovering. He shared what fascinated him about the process -- and his readership grew. (Today he still relies on Facebook to keep his businesses fresh in the minds of his readers. It allows him to be more selective about here his advertising dollars go.)

This was one of the themes of the discussion, that the best engagement comes from a playful, personal, real-time approach to social media.

Another theme was that what works for one page, or one social media guru, may not work for you. Find your "online voice" through trying different things and watching for what works. Social media is too new and changing too quickly for there to be bullet-proof formulas for what to do.

Shanali uses Facebook to create a sense of place, something necessary because she doesn't have her own storefront. People may not be able to visit her store, but they can visit her Facebook page to see what's up. She loves to post things that will make her readers laugh. She called it "being goofy," but it's more that she shares herself. The element of fun is inseparable from her "voice" online.

Patricia used Facebook to redefine the business after she bought it. She needed a flexible way to send the message that the store merchandise was broadening into pop culture toys for all ages, not just kids. Photography of the shoppers and merchandise in her shop wasn't used merely to sell, it became a creative outlet and showcase for her considerable artistic skills.

Mia uses Facebook and Twitter to play games with her readers. In a twist on geo-caching, she hides objects and rewards the finder. She appreciates that Twitter allows her to interact with filmmakers and actors, something very useful for a theater that shows independently-made films. She demonstrated QR codes and how they fit in with her publicity.

More audience-building ideas

• Ask for advice and input, especially while your business is in its formative stage
• Free offer drawings (but as posts, not ads for legal reasons)
• Scavenger hunts
• Photos and images so good people share them
• Post a minimum of 3 times a day, especially while you're building your following.

Other tips:

• Look around your business or organization for tiny stories, juicy tidbits, and imagery that is appealing.
• Buy a smartphone and keep it handy for those spontaneous, ephemeral moments.
• Experiment. Post on a hunch every now and then just to see what happens.
• The more entertainment-focused your business is, the more playful you can be. Try one-word posts, relevant, pithy questions, play word games.
• Stick to the core of your business and don't go wildly off topic. 
• Social media isn't the place for negativity, whining or complaints.
• Be human: Shanali shared about the day her cupcakes exploded in the oven! 
• Be generous with your fellow area businesses, even your competitors; what goes around comes around.
• If you are on topic, don't worry about the "unlikes" because they're just not your audience, your core.
• Respond to reader complaints promptly. Some of us deleted these once they were resolved and some of is didn't.
• Think of social media as a chance to deepen the relationships you have with your clientele by sharing "you are here with me" moments.
• If you are booking performers, look to see what their own social media presence is like.