Here’s some of the fantastic and inspiring stuff I found online this week. There’s a lot on etiquette, a bit of me ranting and a really handy beginners guide to social media from Dell. And if you thought it would be impossible to sell doors via Facebook… read on.
The Value Of Relevant Social Content
I’ve been ranting a bit of late. Somehow the new focus away from likes and on to ‘people talking about’ on Facebook has encouraged people to fill their Facebook pages with anything that will get people talking whether it is relevant to their brand or not. Yes I like cat memes but I don’t want to see them coming from a page I like unless it’s cat related. Yes quotes always get good engagement but is that quote relevant to your brand or are you just posting it so people will click the like button?
When this post from We Are Social popped up I was delighted, it’s compelling enough to persuade some people to stay on topic and written in a far less ranty fashion than I would be capable of. If you read one article this week this should be it.
50+ Creative Twitter Headers
Last week Twitter made some changes, for me it was glitchy for a few hours and then it came back with a new menu bar and the ability to add a header image to your profile. I’m yet to update mine, I’m trying to think of something really clever… I’m sure I’ll be boasting about it as soon as I do. For inspiration I’ve been looking at this post from Wchingya that is chocablock with great examples.
Tips for using LinkedIn Endrosements
There’s been a lot of changes to LinkedIn recently but the foundations stay the same. One of the things I don’t like about the network is that it allows you to automate everything. I’m always uncomfortable when I get an invitation to connect from someone and the name doesn’t ring a bell. I wonder how I know this person, I worry that I’ve met them and I don’t remember them and that they will be insulted. It’s for that reason that I have a huge amount of invites sitting in my LinkedIn inbox that I’ve simply not dealt with. You can circumvent this automation by sending a personalised message with your invite. I’m glad to see personalisation popping up in this list of tips for using the new LinkedIn endorsements.
I respect your social media community. Do you respect mine?
Social media etiquette can be the difference between getting something shared to a community of people who are valuable to you and annoying the page or group owner so much that they will never share your content. Very often other people’s communities can have value to you but how can you and how should you approach them. This is a great read.
School uses Timeline to teach History
I’m always looking for the creative ways that people are using Facebook and this has to be one of the most interesting I’ve seen yet. It’s not for marketing, it’s for learning. As social media becomes more and more a part of our everyday lives it’s becoming important to integrate it into the classroom. This is the story about how one school in Amsterdam is using Timeline to teach History.
Case study – Selling Doors on Facebook
If someone came to me and told me they wanted to use Facebook to market their door company I would probably suggest it wasn’t necessarily the right network for them. Do people really go onto Facebook to buy their front door? Do they want to like a page of the company that provides their front door? Surprisingly it seems that the answer could be yes. I love this case study because it’s not a campaign designed by a clever marketing company, it was something that happened organically for the brand itself. Great inspiration for anyone with a traditionally boring product that wants to make sales via Facebook. Oh and also it proves me wrong!
Social media toolkit from Dell
Dell have to be one of the most social savvy companies you will find. I love that they not only embrace social media but endeavour to help other businesses get to grips with it. It makes sense really, businesses that buy Dell computers will of course be more likely to use social media tools. If they use them effectively and grow they will be buying more Dell computers in the future.
This new toolkit from them is a great starter pack for any business who needs to learn the ropes. It’s packed with good advice as well as some downloads that will help you construct your social media plan.
And from Spiderworking.com this week
Twitter Marketing Tip #4 – Make Your Tweets Shareable
Confuse your Twitter stalkers, convince them you are somewhere else
This weeks cool tool was a bit of fun. Using ‘Please Don’t Stalk Me’ you can pretend you are anywhere in the world. I took a fanciful trip to Italy on Monday. Find out more here.
How to run effective Facebook offers
At last Facebook has launched a tool that makes it easy to track return on investment. I road tested the new Facebook Offers this week and learnt a few things on the way. Here’s how to set them up and what to consider before you do.
Have a great weekend.
