What is a Social Media Audit?

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Many use Social Media to communicate with customers or provide feedback to businesses. There are strategies and techniques that businesses can use to attract a following, maintain connections/followers and build a community.  How can businesses know they are doing this successfully? Can social media channels be re-energized?  Can businesses tweak their current profiles to perform even better?

Confused by a Social Media Term? Check the Social Media Glossary!

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One of the reasons Suddcorp Solutions exists is to help businesses and individuals understand social media in an easy to understand fashion. One of the main issues we come across when helping clients start their social media journey is clients end up stuck on industry jargon. Social media terms like "Friend" and "Connection" and  can be a little scary at first but once these are understood many are eager to move forward.  Other new users may need a simple reference to refresh themselves on what exactly a social media term means.  So where can one turn to get an easy to understand social media terminology?

Today Suddcorp Solutions is pleased to announce that we have just released our own Social Media Glossary easily found on our website. 

The Social Media Glossary is meant to provide simple to understand quick definitions of common industry terms. For those who wish to delve deeper into a term, many terms link to articles that do just that.  

The Glossary is also an ongoing working document where new terms can be added and current terms updated. Thus, if you have a question about a certain term and it's not in the glossary, feel free to contact us and we'll be sure to research and your term. 

Writing vs Editing Content

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Recently Suddcorp Solutions has received inquiries about writing services for both individuals and businesses who need content writing services for written content for a variety of industries (e.g. science, construction, technology, etc.).  As well, some are inquiring about ways to turn their already drafted content into something fit for posting onto their social media feeds and promoted correctly. So what are the options for both of these types of customers?

Expand your Reach on Social Media: Try Some Hashtag Hijinks!

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A great way to expand your audience on social media is through the use of "Hashtags".   First popularized by the social network Twitter, hashtags are used to index a message to a certain subject.
These hashtagged subjects are usually a topic (e.g. restaurants, networking, etc.), city (e.g. Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, etc.) or a way to follow an event (e.g. eSAX, etc.).   Hashtags generally are a word or phrase preceded by a “#”. Example: #examplehashtag.  

The most developed platform, and pioneer in hashtaggery, is Twitter. However, Facebook and Google+ have now started integrating hashtags into their platforms so feel free to use them there as well.  For that reason, in our examples we'll be using Twitter, but these hashtagging methods do have carryover to other social media platforms especially as they become more popular.   So what are different ways hashtags can be used? 

Topics

Hashtags are great for those interested in a certain topic.  For example, many startup and regular businesses the idea of business networking is quite popular to learn about.  On Twitter the hashtag #networking categorizes in one easy find stream all the tweets about business networking in them.  A quick scroll through provides a variety of tweets with many linking to helpful articles on the subject.  Many of these topics have a community of followers that perhaps will be interested in your company and become followers.  So make sure to investigate the different hashtag topics or keywords that apply to your topic of conversation or business. 

Retweets

Retweets are when another account shares your original tweet or message. Retweets are an excellent way to expand the audience for your message because someone thought it was worthwhile to share your message with their followers.

There are ways to encourage retweeting by both thanking others for retweeting and crafting hashtags to take advantage of automated twitter accounts.   Automated twitter accounts have been created to monitor certain hashtags like certain words or city names.

Automated word Retweeters are often found by accident.  One day you will hashtag a word and suddenly it gets retweeted. When this occurs make sure to record the hashtagged word that was retweeted so it can be integrated into future tweets.

Some business related retweetable hashtags include:

#AngelInvestors, #ElevatorPitch, #Share, #ShopYYC, #Startup,  #VentureCapital, #Wordpress

Many city names have similar accounts that retweet to their followers.  Also, many cities also have popular variations on their full spelled out city names so be sure to experiment with these as well for retweeting purposes. For example "Ottawa" has "Ottcity".  Cities with known automated twitter retweeting accounts include:

#BrightonNY, #Calgary, #Edmonton, #Halifax, #Montreal, #Okanagan, #Ottawa (#ottcity), #Quebec, #Toronto, #Vancouver, #Vaughan, #Victoria, #Whistler, #Winnipeg,

Make sure to leverage both word and city retweet accounts as each of these automated twitter accounts tend to be followed by thousands.  Do this by integrating retweetable words and city names into your tweets whenever possible.

Hastag Days

Each day of the week has a variety of fun hashtags that have become popular.  Perhaps the most is "Follow Friday" which is where tweeters thank either their followers or based on a theme dreamt up by the user.   Day of the week hashtags are also an easy twitter writing prompt for those days when you suffer writer's block.  Twitter hashtag days include:

Monday:

#meatlessmonday - have a recipe that doesn't contain meat?  Share it with your followers!

#meowmonday - obviously a cat themed hashtag. 

#musicmonday - tell your followers what music your are listening too or what artist you are dreaming of seeing perhaps later in the week. 

Tuesday:

#nopantstuesday - in celebration of recent "no pants subway rides", this hashtag celebrates the freedom some have to let their legs roam free. 

#tiptuesday - got an industry or life tip to share?  Tell the world on Tuesdays your tips to live a tip top life.

#transformationtuesday - have a positive change in your life health or otherwise?  Post a photo and let others know.

Wednesday:

#wisdomwed - have a pearl of wisdom?  Share it!

#winewednesday - got a favourite glass of wine from the Okanagan, Niagara or French regions?  Tell the world so they can share in your joy? 

#wonderfulwednesday - Tell the world why Wednesday is going to be awesome in your world

#woofwednesday - If cat's can have their own day, why not dogs?

#healthyhumpday - for those in the health & fitness field this a great time to share a tip of the week. 

Thursday:

#rtthursday - Thank your retweeters who shared your tweets this past week. 

#thankfulthursday - Why wait til Thanksgiving to tell everyone what you are thankful for?  Thursday comes every week at least 52 times a year.  Share your gratitude!

#throwbackthursday (aka #tbt) - got an interesting photo from yesteryear?  This is the time to share!

Friday:

 #followfriday - the original Twitter daily hashtag where you thank your followers or encourage your followers to follow other interesting accounts. 

#foodiefriday - enjoyed a new restaurant?  Had a great dish at home? Share your new found foodie sensation so others can enjoy!

#frifotos - post photos of a declared theme each Friday.  Full rules on frifotos are here.  Be sure to check out the hashtag for each week early in the week to prepare for your Friday posting. 

#goodnewsfriday - end the work week on a high note by sharing some good news! 

Saturday:

#caturday - Cat + saturday = caturday. Because some believe cat's invented the internet and, thus, deserve 2 days of the week.

Sunday:

#sinnersunday (also known as #sinday) - not going to church? Tell others of your non-church adventures.  

Hashtags are a great way to expand your audience.  Try mixing and matching some of the above in your tweets and watch interaction with your brand grow!

Need help with hashtags? Suddcorp Solutions can help your business integrate twitter hashtags and increase your twitter following. 

Which Platform to Start With on Social Media?

There is currently an astounding 350+ different social media channels available to choose from.  If you are new to social media choosing which social media channel to start with is a little daunting.  The task of starting is like buying a car.  There are so many shapes and sizes to choose from along with features, restrictions and price tag make things even more interesting.  What model to choose which one of the 350 cars in the dealer's lot is right for me?  Of course the salesman is glad to point you in the right direction, but can you really trust that the tweed suit wearing shyster point you in the right direction?  Most customers will do some preliminary research by selecting features they need, which ones are nice but not necessarily needed and what their price tag is.  As well, car customers are likely to review various sources of information to get the full picture before putting any money down for their new sweet ride.

The same should be done with social media channels. Before delving in know:

1. What are  the basic requirements to have an account with this social media platform?

2. What are the restrictions in using the platform?

3. What advantages are there to this social media platform?

4. What disadvantages are there to this social media platform and how can I minimize or workaround them?

Each of these questions are important to consider for those considering engaging a social media channel.  But what of those where social media is a totally new and scary place to be. Which platform should the total beginner consider using first to gain experience?

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Facebook is a great spot to start for those looking to begin. Facebook's advantages are many including:

1. No character limits like Twitter on each posting to worry about.

2. No template design set up choosing like a blog, only profile and header photos to navigate.

3. Has the most worldwide users which makes it easy to find and connect with others.

4. A lot of research and helpful tips are available either in book or online article format.

The worry of many new computer users or computer application users is supposedly breaking it or doing something wrong that will get you in trouble.

A couple of years ago before founding Suddcorp Solutions, one user we were working with was worried about creating a route map for the next day for one of the drivers.  Sitting down at the computer was also a little troublesome as there were worries while she thought about what might happen if she technologically ruined the computer.  We guided her to Google Maps and reassured her that it would be well.  In fact, if she broke Google Maps, a couple of highly paid engineers would be really interested in how she did it.  From there on it was no problem in using Google Maps for our now fearless friend.

The same goes for Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg's computer engineering team would probably be quite interested in how a newbie to Facebook was able to run into technological issues. Facebook to the average user is nearly unbreakable as it has been successfully used by billions of users worldwide in a variety of contexts.  So there should be no fear in using it.   However, before starting there should be some contemplation and gathering of information to make the average user comfortable for not just only signing up with Facebook but any social media platform.

Profile Photo: Most social media platforms use a profile photo.  It's easier to be recognized if a common profile photo is used across many social networks as you expand.  There are issues to consider when selecting a profile photo, but these are easy to overcome.

User Name: Hopefully your own personal name is still available on Facebook to use as a login.  This makes it easier for those looking for you to find you.  Otherwise, consider using a variation by perhaps adding a middle initial or hyphenated married last name.

E-mail: Which e-mail address will you use to confirm your identity and receive notifications, if needed, from a social media platform?

Public vs. Private: What information are you willing to share?  Facebook can be a little pushy at times to hand over information like your birthday, marital status and family information.  What are you willing to give Facebook to display to the world and what information do you wish to keep private?

Facebook is a great way to investigate how social media works as it has many of the core components other social media networks also have.  Facebook helps to see how users interact with each other, businesses use it to market their products or services and how different communities discuss issues and promote events.  Facebook doesn't have many of the restrictions like the 140 character per post that Twitter has, the professional nature Linkedin possesses or niche market of say an online review site like Yelp!   As well, Facebook makes it easy to post photos, add & read content, play games and invite others to join you at an event. With 1 billion plus users, Facebook has the user participation to ensure there is always something or someone new to interact with.  Best part of all the platform is fairly user friendly for beginners and regular users to navigate along with the technological support available in case something goes horribly wrong.

For business owners, it's probably best to start off with an experimental personal account.  This way you can login and explore the different features of Facebook and many social media platforms without it affecting your personal brand.  Most Facebook features are also customizable so if something doesn't look right, it can be fixed later on. Once familiar with basics of Facebook (e.g. posting content, pictures, etc.) and investigating what other business' are using the platform for, then feel free to go ahead and create your own business' Facebook page.

Once you think you've mastered the basics of Facebook and raised your comfort level feel free to investigate one of the other 350+ platforms.  There are quite a few out there, so choose the next one that might either be popular or is home to those that share your niche interests.

Nervous about Facebook and Social Media?  Suddcorp Solutions can help!  Contact us today.

Going to a Networking Event or Tradeshow? How Social Media Can Be Used to Connect

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For individuals looking for work or businesses looking for new opportunities, the idea of networking has been around for ages.  As the Thornhill Employment Hub and St. Lawrence College Employment Centre would probably agree, most job opportunities are now found through networking and not publicly posted by employers.  Businesses as well will find a lot of opportunities through networking at different events or trade shows. Networking may probably be more effective for some businesses than traditional mail or newspaper advertising. 

Social Media can assist you with networking events in several ways from finding an event, notifying others you are at the event and following up with possible sales leads after the event. 

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Finding an event:

Networking opportunities don't necessarily have to be formal business events.  The whole idea is to get out and meet people.  These opportunities can be everything from a charitable golf tournament, chamber of commerce event, industry trade show or a group with a common interest like inline skating.   

Social media provides a variety of databases to find an event whether it be for networking purposes or to find something entertaining to do on the weekend.  

Facebook Events: Great spot to see what events are going on that others you are friends with are going to. As well, using the mobile app version, Facebook Events allows you to see upcoming events around your current location and add them to your own events calendar. 

Meetup.com: Have a specific interest in baking, cycling or something else?  Check out Meetup.com where you can search by interest, date or even city to find something may be of interest to you.  Many of the groups meet on a regular basis either weekly or monthly with a common interest.  A great resource to find join a group of people with a common interest. 

Twitter: Be sure to follow your favourite event venue or hosting company.  These key contacts will keep you up to date on upcoming events you may be interested in.

As well, be sure to check out the more conventional methods of finding network events like local economic development offices (e.g. Invest Ottawa, etc.) and Chambers of Commerce (e.g. Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, Aurora Chamber of Commerce, etc.)

Finally, before going to the event, check out to see who might be there.  This can be done by checking to see who has confirmed on Facebook Events or the event website sometimes.  Once known who is going to be there do some research on Linkedin personal profiles, Twitter and company websites to see which attendees you may wish to target to interact with in hopes of making a connection.

Image courtesy of Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

At the Event:

At the event social media is probably best described as being "the fly on the wall" with a real time feed of the happenings.  The most popular social media platform at events is Twitter.

Twitter is popular because the most a single posting can be is 140 characters which limits the amount for each specific post.  This is excellent as networkers are there to meet others and enjoy the event instead of reviewing how tasty the 2013 Jackon Triggs Savignon Blanc being served is.

To follow an event on Twitter, find the event's hashtag and follow it for the latest.  A hashtag is a word with a number sign ("#") in front of it.  A hashtag is basically like a physical file folder in an office to file messages and other items under that subject to make it easier to find for those that need it.  If your at an event, inquire with either the event literature, the organizers, the event's Twitter account or via an internet search to see what the hashtag being used is.  An example of an event hashtag successfully being used for an event is this year's World Cup (#worldcup) and Ottawa's recent Glow Fair (#glowfair).

After finding the event's hashtag, there are two main uses.  To follow developments or what others are finding interesting and to contribute to the feed yourself.

The event's hashtag may announce upcoming start times for certain key items like workshops, presentations or when a meal is about to served.  Gradually follow this feed as well to see if there are other interesting contacts posting that you may not have had on your initial networking list created before the event.

Posting into the event stream is pretty easy to do.  Simply create a message on Twitter that is 140 characters long including the hashtag.   For example recently the Glow Fair occurred on Ottawa's Bank Street.  Some of the street performers were mentioned on the hashtag.  We contributed this tweet to point out what was going on at this particular intersection:

The Engagement Ring show at Bank & Lisgar in #Ottawa at #GlowFair pic.twitter.com/xqmneGtozU
— Suddcorp Solutions (@Suddcorp) June 22, 2014

From this tweet we had to include in the 140 character limit the: message, event hashtag (#GlowFair) and the link to the photo we took.  

Event photos are also interesting as those that follow both the hashtag and your own Twitter account may be interested in a visual to see what is going on and who is at the event.  For businesses, it helps to advertise their presence at the event and possibly, in the case of a tradeshow, where their table might be. 

Image courtesy of vegadsl / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

After an Event: 

After the streamers and dirty dishes have been removed from the venue and your back at your office it is time to follow up.  Take a look at the business cards you gathered from the event.  For the key contacts you wish to keep in connect with: ask them to be a connection on Linkedin, follow them on Twitter or other social media.  Remember though, not everyone has an account on all social media platforms so don't be disappointed if some contacts are not there. Why connect on social media after an event? Your name or business brand will be part of the contact's stream over time which will help you and your business to remain top of mind on a frequent basis.

As well, many use Linkedin as an easy to update rolodex of contacts to refer people to because good Linkedin users keep their current employment status, skills and contact information up to date.  This is important as perhaps a contact you met two years before may finally need or know someone who needs your product or services.  So make sure you keep your Linkedin profile as up to date as possible. 

Social media is great to use before, during and after an event for individuals looking for employment and  businesses looking for prospective sales leads. It helps to market yourself and business to prospective contacts through gaining followers and maintaining an online database.  So make sure to avail yourself of all the opportunities it provides!

Playing Hard to Get? How to Encourage Customers to Find You on Social Media

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Many companies and individuals have social media accounts like Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter as well as listings on review websites like Urbanspoon or Yelp! These accounts may be visually appealing and regularly posted to with engaging content but for some reason many will fail to gain or take a long time to gain notice. This leads to a frequently asked question we get all the time from existing users: 

Why do some social media accounts fail to gain a following?

There are a number reasons why social media accounts fail to gain a following but mainly it boils down to these social media accounts are hard to find.  Let's investigate a few examples of where social media profiles can be promoted.

Websites: Usually businesses have attractive websites with all the relevant information of their company and added value industry information like blogs. These same businesses also have more social media profiles than you can count and update them on a frequent basis. But their loyal customers, who visit the company's website on a regular basis, do not become followers on company social media platforms. The company fails to properly advertise their social media presence on the company website.  There are a couple of suggestions to ensure website visitors are made aware of a company's presence on social media but the basic way is through icons.  Social media icons on websites provide awareness to website visitors that a company has social media profiles.   These icons can take a variety of looks but look something similar to the below:

 

But these icons lead to another issue with customers on your website from finding you, linking correctly.  On many websites where these icons are present the gifted webmaster has failed to either properly link the accounts at all or merely linked them to the homepage of the respective social media platform (e.g. www.twitter.com, www.facebook.com. etc. ).  Thus, it is important to both ensure the social media icons are present but also pointed at the correct web addresses (URLs) to be able to find the company's social media profile (e.g. www.twitter.com/suddcorp, www.facebook.com/suddcorpsolutions).  It also does not hurt after creating these links to take the extra couple of minutes to test them to make sure they work! 

Another method to market a company's social media presence is to integrate feeds into the website itself if space permits.   Some social media platforms like Twitter allow feeds to be created and integrated into websites.  The CBC Ottawa's is a great example with their live newsfeed integrated into the site which allows visitors to follow reporter's or CBC's corporate feeds.

Offline: In the real world, your social media existence may also be hard to find. Make sure customers can easily find you by promoting your social media channels whenever possible. You can advertise visually in your storefront window, on your receipts or in newspaper advertisements your existence on social media by using social media icons or mentioning your social media internet addresses (URLs). Customers will only follow you if they know you exist!

Search: In online search your company is hard to find because the social media profiles are not optimized from even the set up stage.  A great example on Twitter, which does extend to other social media platforms, is choosing a profile name and address that does not match your company profile. Aardvark Property Insurance might have a Twitter name or Internet address reflecting "Aardvark123756".  No wonder possible followers can't find the company while searching.  A better Twitter name might be "AardvarkPropIns" with an name that reads "Aardvark Property Insurance".  This allows followers to enter the company name into the search function and find the company quickly and easily. So when setting up the profiles, make sure to choose an account name and address that fits your business.

Customers who learn about your social media existence are more likely to follow, join the conversation and even endorse your services or products which helps to make your social media channels more worthwhile.  These customers are also more likely to be your unpaid sales team by engaging their friends and family with recommendations of your products or services either in person or online using word of mouth recommendations. So it is of the utmost importance to make it easy for your customer's to find you on social media!

Avoid Being an Egghead: Tips on Creating a Profile Picture

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One of the most important aspects of any social media profile is the profile photo. A profile photo is important for two main reasons: search results and professional image.

Searching is one of the main reasons to have a profile photo on social media.  People want to know they have the right person to connect to and interact with online.  As more people and brands join the online world it becomes a crowded place.  To make things even more difficult is if people have to search for a common first and last name combination. For example, there are currently at least 15 different "Joseph Gatts" on Twitter, 6 on LinkedIn and too many to count on a Google image search. Of the Twitter results many entries are simply a shot of the world famous default Twitter egg.

A clean professional looking profile would easily solve the problem and your profile would be easy to find amongst the search result clutter.

A professional profile is easy to create without being or engaging a professional photographer. Take a look through your existing photos or take a brand new photo but beware some of the most common profile photo errors.

Try not to select anything more than 5 years old.  Real estate agents are the main aged profile photo culprits. Take a look at almost any real estate brokerage website and you are sure to find examples of agent profile photos with aged backgrounds or, worse, 80s hairdos or leopard prints.

Don't make your profile photo into a police line up.  People are searching to find you in search results.  Don't make them search further by forcing them to go through group shots looking for your friendly face. Facebook profile photos are notorious for having this issue with either you not in the photo or part of a group shot.  Make it easy for people to find you by having just you in the photo.

Your photo should reflect a professional looking image.  For personal accounts, especially on the more professional Linkedin, it is important you look your best.  Many professionals use photos of them dressed up like they are going to meet a client for the first time and wish to make a good first impression. So obviously avoid the waterskiing or hockey photos and look for the more formal looking photos.

Of course there are exceptions to the "formal looking photos".  If you are a plumber, handyman, professional hockey player or sign printer, feel free to include some of the tools of your trade.  A well placed sign, wrench or hockey stick provides a creative flair to your profile photo.  But make sure it is tastefully done and your smiling face is the main focus with your tool of the trade visible but not dominant.

Avoid just using your company logo for your profile.  If customers are searching for your company or a service you provide online, they will navigate to your company's social media pages or website.  Many customers want to know who the people are behind the company's name and logo.  A warm trusting face in a profile photo on your personal social media pages provides this along with your personal profile.

Once you have found that perfect photo, use it!  Use your new photo on all your accounts so those searching for you among several social media platforms can find you quick and easily.  Your personal profile photo will be your personal brand, so use it consistently and do not change it for long periods of time.  People like familiarity, and whats more trustworthy than a trustworthy familiar face?

Stuck on choosing the right photo? Suddcorp Solutions is happy to help. 

Catch up With Suddcorp Solutions on Social Media

Suddcorp Solutions loves to be up to date on the latest goings on in the world of social media and technological innovations.  We also love to interact with our customers using a variety of social media platforms and tools.  Want to know how we use our social media tools and possibly which platform we currently use that may be the perfect use for you?  See below....

Our blog, which you are currently reading, showcases the latest on Suddcorp Solutions' services, client portfolio highlights, tips & tricks and more.  We felt the blog should have a prominent spot right on our front page to keep our customers up to date.

Our Facebook & Google Plus pages are great to follow for notifications when the latest blog entries are posted as well as respond to intriguing questions from our followers.  Feel free to post a question and we would be happy to respond with either an answer from ourselves or a linke to an article from an expert who has answered your query. As well, Suddcorp often confirms our attendance at various events on Facebook or Google+ so be sure to follow and we hope to see you around!

Connect with us on Linkedin to see the latest updates from the Blog and get further insight into the people that work here by checking out and connecting with their profiles.

Looking for the latest news on social media?  Be sure to follow us on Twitter where we share the latest updates in the world of social media that concentrates on how it affects consumers and businesses in the Ottawa area in terms of changes, interesting ideas and how social media can improve business.

If Social Media is a little too intimidating for you, but would love a little help, we have the usual ways to connect with us conveniently found on our "Contact Us" page.