Social Media Week: Reflecting on the Importance of Social Media in Your Company

February 13, 2012

Jenn

Do you know what today is? Of course, we all know it’s Monday, February 13th, and the day before Valentine’s Day, but what else? Today is the first day of Social Media Week, which is defined as “a week-long festival featuring independently curated (and mostly free) speakers, panels, workshops, events, and parties” that takes place in 12 of the world’s major cities. Even for those of us who do not live close to any of the 12 participating cities and cannot attend the events, we can still participate. How, you ask? In my opinion, the best way to participate is to reflect on how social media is performing as a part of your company’s marketing plan. This will allow you to see how you’ve used social media thus far, how it has helped you to achieve your goals, and you wish to use it in the future.

Here are some ideas for how you can reflect on social media:

1. Make a List of Components of Your Current Social Media Situation
Start by writing out how many followers you have, how many people you follow, how many likes you have, how many pages you like, how many re-tweets you have, how many shares you have, how many mentions you have, etc. This will help you to see how you measure up. Do you have as many followers, like, shares, etc. as you’d like to have? On a day to day basis, one can get wrapped up in the daily grind, and lose focus. This time of reflection is a good time to realize how social media is working for you.

2. Make a List of Social Media Successes
Let’s be honest, we all like to think about our successes. Be sure to make a note of your social media accomplishments. Did you get a re-tweet or mention from someone significant in your industry? Did you get a certain amount of followers or likes? Think carefully about what you’ve been doing, find your best practices, and stick to them.

3. Make a List of What You’d Like to do with Social Media
You’ve already looked at your situation and successes. Now it’s time to look at where you want to go with your social media. Do you want to gain followers, get more re-tweets and comments, and get more shares? Think about where you want your social media to go, and then think of ideas on how you can make it happen. For example, if your goal is to increase followers, you can start to add a Twitter icon and your Twitter handle to all of your printed marketing materials.

4. Write Several Measurable and Attainable Objectives
If I learned one thing as an Advertising/Marketing program graduate, it’s that all marketing and advertising plans must have measurable objectives. Since social media plans are part of marketing plans, they too need measurable objectives. Measurable objectives allow you to track your progress, and create accountability. When I say measurable, I mean you must use numbers or percentages to define what you would like to achieve by a certain date. An example of a measurable objective is: “To increase the number of Twitter followers by 200 by the December 2012.” Likewise, and example of an objective using a percentage would be, “To increase the number of Twitter followers by 20% by December 2012.”

I have already written several of my own reflections on how social media has been a large component of my career in marketing. I wrote about social media tips I learned at the 2011 PRSA Chesapeake Conference, and about how social media can assist with event marketing. Be sure to check out these posts for additional social media ideas!

Happy Social Media Week!

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Posted by Jenn Lake

What is the economic impact of Facebook, Twitter, and all those social media applications?

February 9, 2012

Daraius

What do sites that many people use to share their vacation pictures, make snarky comments, or let everyone know what they are doing every minute of the day in under a 140 characters mean for the economy?  That is a question many individuals have. Aside for the very large IPO last week, what is the real economic value of Facebook or Twitter or the myriad of other social medial sites?

According to a University of Maryland study, Facebook and other social media sites have spawned the “App Economy” which has created between 182,000 and 235,000 jobs and has added between $12.19 billion and $15.71 billion in wages and salaries. A study funded by Facebook finds that in Europe, Facebook added a similar number of jobs (approximately 232,000).

Now one may wonder if Words with Friends and Farmville really add to the nation’s economic activity. While the enjoyment of playing social network games may not add a specific dollar amount to the economy, the development of such applications supports numerous jobs. Moreover, the use of Twitter and other location-based social media such as foursquare also support numerous development jobs and add value to the economy.

While all of these new application jobs are a benefit to the economy, I think the value of social media is how it is transforming the way we use the web and the way businesses use the web. In the first phase of the internet, portals such as AOL and Yahoo! made the internet the place to go to find information, albeit slowly. When Google indexed this information, then we were cooking with gas. However, the web experience remained an individual experience.  With the maturity of social media, the web has become a platform for social interaction. Social change empowers individuals who share common likes and dislikes to join together.

Image credit: tungphoto

The success of Facebook and other social media platforms illustrate the potential for profitability of an open internet and a good idea. The fact is that for every like or dislike we post, every tweet we tweet and every time we check in, we are providing immensely valuable information to firms. The rise in location-specific coupons is driven by this information. According to Richard Florida, the geography of the professional use of social media is concentrated in metro areas in the U.S. that are richer, more technologically advanced, have higher levels of education, higher levels of the creative class, and are more open to diversity of all sorts.

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Posted by Daraius Irani

Social Media and Video Tips from the 2011 PRSA Chesapeake Conference

November 16, 2011

Jenn

If you noticed that the TUOutreach Facebook and Twitter accounts were quiet on Thursday November 3,  good observation! I am the social media manager around here, and I spent Thursday at the 2011 PRSA Chesapeake Conference, learning about social media and other marketing, public relations, and advertising media.

I could go into an in-depth discussion about my day, but I’d like to instead focus on a few of the sessions that I attended, and what I learned from them.

I started my day with a video presentation by Ed Beckett and Sharon Brown from University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). My top take-away ideas from this session:

1. If you don’t have a good space for video, you may be able to rent production space from a local public television station.
2. Try to include experts in your videos, this allows for strong content.
3. Be selective about who you interview on camera and make sure they’re comfortable on camera.
4. Take a thumb drive with you to video meetings so that you can collect photos, presentations, and other visuals to include in the video.
5. Be sure to have the visuals in your video complement the spoken words (for example, if you say “dog”, show a dog, and if you see a dog, say “dog”).
6. Use phrases like “you”, “as you can see here”, and “take a look at this” to draw audience attention.
7. Use your video in other outlets such as emails and social media to maximize efficiency.

After the video session, I sat in on a Twitter session presented by Governor O’Malley’s New Media Manager, Zoe Pagonis, as well as Lori Livingston, New Media Manager for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Some key take-aways from this session include:

1. Use presentation platforms like Prezi to switch it up from PowerPoint.
2. Use a hashtag so that the audience can tweet about your presentation.
3. Have a laptop on hand during the presentation so that the presenters can answer questions received via Twitter.
4. Integrate social media with other departments to maximize efficiency.
5. Include videos in press releases.
6. Use videos to personalize your message.
7. Use websites like Vimeo for paid and free background music for your videos.

While the conference had several sessions, these two stuck out as my favorites. As you can see, the sessions of the 2011 PRSA Chesapeake Conference left their audiences with some great take-aways. This event was a valuable experience, and I hope to return next year.

Logo for the 2011 PRSA Chesapeake Conference


1 Comment | Education, Events, Marketing, Training, Web Services | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Jenn Lake

5 Tips for Using Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs for Event Marketing

October 13, 2011

Jenn

1. Create a Facebook event page
A Facebook event page allows you to publish essential information about your event (time, location, etc.), and track who will be attending. This is a great place to post relevant articles and resources that will further engage the audience. It also gives the audience a place to make comments on the event and share the event with their Facebook friends. The sharing feature is essential because it allows your event to reach more potential attendees.

2. Connect with Guest Speakers or Event Sponsors
If your event features a notable guest speaker, be sure to mention him/her on social media. For example, you can mention the individual on Twitter or tag them on Facebook. You can also mention sponsors in the same way. Mentioning a notable speaker or sponsor on social media will associate them with your event, thus creating increased awareness and credibility. Blogs are also a great place to connect with guest speakers. For example, you can have a guest speaker do a guest blog post about your event.

3. Publish Event Updates on Social media
Social media can also be used to keep your audience up to date as the event approaches. For example, you may want to let your audience know about agenda changes, new sponsors, new speakers, or new attractions. You can also use social media to countdown to the event, and to let your audience know when the event is close to selling out.

4. Publicize Social Media URLs
Be sure to include Facebook, Twitter, and Blog URLs on all websites and/or print collateral that are used to market the event. This should result in increased traffic to your social media websites since the consistent appearance of social media icons and URL’s will remind the audience to connect with your event.  Be sure to create a hashtag and let your audience know about it through your marketing efforts. Hashtags allow the audience to follow conversations about your event if they search the hashtag on Twitter.

5. Use Social Media for Crowd Sourcing
You can also use Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to interact with the audience. For example, you can poll the audience by asking what they’d like to see at the event. This will allow you to hear the voice of your audience and to ultimately present content that is relevant to your audience, creating greater satisfaction with the event.

Check out how DECO is using social media!

Image Credit: fotographic1980

2 Comments | Events, Marketing, Small Business Development | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Jenn Lake

Blogging. Facebooking. Tweeting.

October 3, 2011

Sharyn

That’s right…we’re doing all of the above and then some! Over the past 2 years, our online brand has expanded, and just so you know, we’re not just blogging. You can find various DECO research and outreach centers promoting their brand through various social outlets. Go ahead, take a look and like or follow us!

Economic and Community Outreach

Center for Applied IT

Center for GIS (CGIS)

Center for Professional Studies

Regional Economic Studies Institute (RESI)

TowsonGlobal

TU in the Community

Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU)


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Posted by Sharyn Grove

Getting in the Integrated Marketing Game

September 15, 2010

Sharyn

In recent months, DECO began to offer a new and exciting set of services. The Integrated Marketing Team (IMT) was formed to provide comprehensive solutions for communications and media challenges. Social media strategy and web site analysis and development are the focus of the team.

Just last week, the IMT completed a project where tactics, management strategies, and website integration approaches for implementing a Social Media Marketing Strategy were provided to six start-up businesses. Months were spent analyzing the companies and their industries. In turn, the IMT was able to provide a comprehensive strategy that included:

  • An overview of the social media landscape and how Web 2.0 has impacted the way consumers and businesses interact with one another.

    Click here for a one page reference sheet about the IMT services.

  • Specific social media tools that will work most effectively for each company.  Management and measurement strategies were suggested to ensure that implementing these tools are both time efficient and quantifiable.
  • Website analysis that includes improvement recommendations on navigation and functionality.  Also, social media tool integration recommendations were provided.
  • Tactical outreach, blogging, and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies provided additional advice on how to implement the suggested social media approaches effectively.

  • A Tool Kit provided summaries of each of our favorite social media tools.  The summary includes costs, usefulness, key features, step-by-step guide to get started, and helpful resources.

If social media is a marketing avenue your company would like to explore, don’t hesitate to contact me (I am one of the Project Managers for the IMT) for the guidance your business needs to take a strategy and run with it!

Leave a Comment » | Business Analysis, Community Outreach, Entrepreneurship, News, Project Management, Small Business Development | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sharyn Grove

Facebook and What I Thought I‘d NEVER Do

March 16, 2010

 

Dawn

The only reason I joined Facebook was to see pictures of my friend’s new dog.  A year later I am addicted and not just to the games – okay I’ll admit I do have farms, restaurants and a mafia.  However, recently I have found that a social networking tool can actually be a learning experience.

The first thing I never thought I’d do in relation to Facebook is allow my son to have his own page.  He uses the dog’s name because I am too over protective to actually let him use his own (it wasn’t until very recently I actually let him post a picture of himself, instead of a Transformer).  He asks us if he can friend people, prior to “friending” them, and my husband and I can log on as him to just “see” what’s going on. So far so good!  He now talks to his Aunt in CA and friends in Florida way more than he used to, and he is learning boundaries of what is appropriate for “posting” and what needs to stay at home.   I was so pleased to hear him comment how “dumb” some of his friends’ posts sounded. This experience is helping me learn how to let my “little” boy have some freedom.  Yes, I do log in as him to keep a check, but hey, I am the Mom and were talking baby steps here (for me not him).

The second thing I never thought I would do is let people know about a death.  It does sound a little morbid and doubt Miss Manners would approve.  But when a friend recently passed away, I was able to let people know what had happened and when all arrangements had been finalized.  People I knew took my post and shared it with others that knew my friend, but who I didn’t know.  I was surprised at how many people were able to make it to the funeral home and funeral because of my Facebook posts.  Those that could not make it to the pay their respects in the usual way were able to write notes to her family on the Guest Book found on the funeral home’s website.  We also were able to grieve together, albeit via computer.   I would have preferred to share happy news, but with a few clicks of my keyboard, I was able to provide information many people would not have received until well after the fact, if at all, and allowed them to act, instead of being sad they did not know sooner.

Until now I thought of social networking as being “social”, sharing a joke, saying hello, or making an innocuous comment.  I have now found it to be a teaching tool and a way to share important information. Though generally my use of social networking is not work related, the way information spreads through this type of medium was astounding to me.  It also made realize how powerful and useful it could be, if done properly.  I’m not sure about other greater good opportunities for which social networking can be used. But after these latest experiences I feel social networking sites can have more productive uses than farms, restaurants and mafias. But I’m not giving them up!

4 Comments | Education | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Dawn Bott

Got Social Media?

November 23, 2009

Sharyn

Last week I had the opportunity to return to one of my alma maters, University of Baltimore, to attend an event hosted by the Public Relations Society of America’s Maryland chapter. “10 Questions to Ask When Developing a Social Media Strategy” presented by Sean Carton of idfive was exactly the new information I was looking for. I’m eager to keep learning more and more about social media and how it can be used in a business capacity. What I liked about Sean’s presentation was that he spent a little time on the basics of social media and then he posed questions that really made me think and evaluate the strategy that we have in place for DECO. I was smiling and even laughing out loud throughout the presentation because Sean was able to share his 10 tips in a humorous, yet informative manner. Below I’ve highlighted a few of the questions he posed.

from fresherthan.com

Why chose social media?

Don’t think jumping on the bandwagon is a good enough answer. Just because everyone under 25 is doing it, make sure your organization is doing it for the right reason. You have to know your audience, or have a desire to build stronger relationships with that audience. Maybe you’re an organization that attracts a certain niche or you do something better than your competitors. We found that within our organization that offers services like economic analysis, it solutions, GIS consulting, business incubation, small business development and education, that we have a story to tell and we wanted to make sure the region was hearing about it.

Are you ready to give up control?

This is something that can be tricky. You can’t control what people say about your organization. And today, it’s easier and easier for people to say what they want in forums, twitter, blogs, and really anywhere. So don’t be scared of that, join the conversation. The whole point of social media is that it should be a two-way conversation. As Sean pointed out during his presentation, the truth can hurt, but it may be worth hearing.

How do you plan to get users to visit?

You can build it, but will they come? How will you spread the word? We’ve found that the content we create on our blog can help generate tidbits for our quarterly newsletter and twitter account. We’re asking university and business partners to help promote our blog and we’re sending relevant blog posts to clients hoping they will be enlightened or even share the information with other colleagues. Since the blog’s launch we have received more and more comments and also had our articles picked up internally at TU. You could say our approach is a little more on the grass roots side right now.

Who’s responsible for maintenance?

This is the tricky, but critical part of an organization’s social media strategy. At DECO we didn’t want to jump in head first and just hope the blog would work. We spent an entire summer talking with our team in DECO to find out who was interested in working with the blog, impressions of social media, and developing policies. We reviewed other blogs for what we liked and didn’t like, and then started building the framework. Since the launch, we formed a user group and meet monthly to talk about our posting schedule. This helps to keep all the contributors in the loop of the expectations. Editing and posting the articles then becomes a pretty easy task. It’s a good idea to make the maintenance part of someone’s job responsibilities so that it gets done. It’s also important to establish criteria of your social media, allow autonomy to your staff who oversees the social media and integrate it with all the forms of communication you are currently using.

Hearing this presentation gave me a few things to think about and I have a better idea of how to evaluate our social media strategy and make our presence stronger.

Click here to view the presentation

2 Comments | Business Analysis, Small Business Development | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sharyn Grove

See you on Facebook!

October 5, 2009
Sharyn

Sharyn

Leaving a softball game this summer, “see you on Facebook” is what one of my teammates shouted to a few of us as we were heading to our cars after the last game. It’s really no surprise that keeping up with the comings and goings of friends is so easily, and enthusiastically, done on Facebook. On September 15 the Web site reached the 300 million active users headcount and of those active users, 50% of them are logging on daily to:

  • update their status (40 million status updates a day)
  • upload pictures (2 billion photos uploaded each month)
  • create an event (3 million new events are hosted each month)
  • join a group (there are 45 million groups to chose from)
  • become a fan (10 million people become fans every day)
  • or take a quiz or play games (my least favorite tools of Facebook!)

facebook_logoFacebook’s web site defines their site as “a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers”. Facebook is getting the job done. Check out these statistics:

  • 1 to 1 million – The ratio of Facebook engineers to users.
  • 65 million – the number of active users accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.
  • 35+ – The fastest growing demographic.
  • 130 – The average number of friends.
  • 6 billion – The number of minutes spent on Facebook every day.
  • 65 – The number of translations available.
  • 70% – The percentage of Facebook users that reside outside the United States.

facebookpage

Here at Towson, Facebook allows faculty, staff, students, alums, and university friends to connect. The admissions department has a Facebook fan page where they have over 1,100 users sharing information and checking out the demographics of TU. It’s a great way to reach out to potential applicants and current students. Towson Arts & Culture, uses their fan page to promote performances, exhibits, films and lectures each year. Although this page is relatively new, it’s clear that this fan page will be very useful as the number of fans increase. They’ll be able to use the page to not only promote those performances, but spread the word about events to a broader audience by the click of a button. Even President Caret uses Facebook to make himself more accessible to students. For him, using Facebook is a way to “get a dialogue going.” He can address important campus issues, such as parking and off campus residents, and market the university.

If you’re not a Facebook user yet, now’s the time. You can use the site as minimally as you like, or be a true active user and log on everyday with loads of information to share to all of your adoring friends, or even fans. Maybe I’ll even see you on Facebook!

Leave a Comment » | Students, TU Faculty & Staff | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Sharyn Grove

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