Tag: Twitter

How a #Hashtag Can Help You Graduate to More Social Events

#NU2012, the official hashtag of the Class of 2012, was broadcast on the big screen at the TD Garden during former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s keynote address.

First, I would like to congratulate my fellow members of the Class of 2012.

Second, I would like to congratulate Northeastern University.

After 110 years, the school finally solved a problem that has challenged institutions of higher learning for generations: how to make commencement ceremonies less boring. And they did it by incorporating a hashtag into this year’s event.

By including #NU2012 in their tweets, graduates were able to share their thoughts about the commencement, memories from the week of celebration, photos from their seats, and even say thank you to their parents sitting in the stands. Even the president of Northeastern, Joseph Aoun, tweeted a congratulations to the senior class.

So in honor of graduation and in appreciation to all the teachers I’ve had over the years, I thought I would share what I learned about using a hashtag so you can also graduate to more social events. [Read more...]

The Speakeasy Marketing Roundtable: Episode 3 [Podcast]

Pictures of the members of the Speakeasy Marketing Roundtable

Your marketing questions plus a room full of beer and marketing obsessed colleagues equals the best way to spend some time on a Friday!

Listen in as content manager, Dave Charest (that’s me!) moderates a marketing roundtable discussion with social media education developer, Azure Collier, social media specialist, Danielle Cormier, social media manager, Erica Ayotte, senior product marketing manager, Josh Mendelsohn, and communications specialist, Dave Gerhardt.

What’s in this episode?

28 minutes of social media awesome!

1. This week’s news topic: Facebook Offers: The Good and the Bad

2. Questions we discuss:

  • Who are the people that actually see Facebook Ads?
  • How can I promote a Facebook Page interationally?
  • Are Facebook Ads going in the right direction?
  • How can I improve on the ways I gain new “Likers” or fans for my Facebook Page?

3. Danielle’s Featured Tip

BONUS: Here’s a link to the recorded version of the Joint Facebook Webinar mentioned in the podcast.

Enjoy!

Listen to the show: Click here to listen to the file in your browser. (Right-click and “Save as” to download to your computer.)

Ask your social media and marketing questions in the comments below and we’ll answer them in an upcoming episode!

The Speakeasy Marketing Roundtable: Episode 2 [Podcast]

Pictures of the members of the Speakeasy Marketing Roundtable

Your marketing questions plus a room full of beer and marketing obsessed colleagues equals the best way to spend some time on a Friday!

Listen in as content manager, Dave Charest (that’s me!) moderates a marketing roundtable discussion with social media education developer, Azure Collier, social media specialist, Danielle Cormier, social media manager, Erica Ayotte, senior product marketing manager, Josh Mendelsohn, and communications specialist, Dave Gerhardt.

What’s in this episode?

17 minutes of social media awesome!

1. This week’s new topic: Facebook’s Acquisition of Instagram

2. Questions we discuss:

  • Does social media really work?
  • Why is tangentially related content important?
  • How do you do low cost research using social media to sell more stuff?
  • Why is urgency necessary to drive action?

3. Danielle’s Featured Tip

Enjoy!

Listen to the show: Click here to listen to the file in your browser. (Right-click and “Save as” to download to your computer.)

Ask your social media and marketing questions in the comments below and we’ll answer them in an upcoming episode!

The Speakeasy Marketing Roundtable: Episode 1 [Podcast]

Pictures of the members of the Speakeasy Marketing Roundtable

Your marketing questions plus a room full of beer and marketing obsessed colleagues equals the best way to spend some time on a Friday!

Listen in as content manager, Dave Charest (that’s me!) moderates a marketing roundtable discussion with social media education developer, Azure Collier, social media specialist, Danielle Cormier, social media manager, Erica Ayotte, senior product marketing manager, Josh Mendelsohn, and communications specialist, Dave Gerhardt.

What’s in this episode?

24 minutes of social media awesome!

  • Is there a downside to auto posting to multiple social networks?
  • What do people expect when they follow you on different networks?
  • How do you get more people to follow you on your social networks?
  • Why is shareable content so critically important to reaching a new audience?
  • What often overlooked Facebook feature drives a nice amount of new “Likes?”
  • How do you manufacture word of mouth on Facebook?
  • Where does selling come in on Facebook?
  • What’s the proper ratio of content/promotion?
  • How do posting frequencies differ on Facebook and Twitter?
  • How do relationships differ on Facebook and Twitter?

Enjoy!

Listen to the show: Click here to listen to the file in your browser. (Right-click and “Save as” to download to your computer.)

Ask your social media and marketing questions in the comments below and we’ll answer them in an upcoming episode!

How to Create Content Without Doing the Work

Relaxed business man with feet up on deskA question I hear a lot from our customers lately is “I have no idea what to post on my social media sites. How do I create content?”

If I said “You don’t have to,” would you believe me? It’s true!

One of the great things about social media marketing is the access we have to lots of content.

Facebook users create an average of 90 pieces of content a month. All this creativity is too good to keep to ourselves – so we share it. Every 60 seconds on Facebook, users share 50,000 links with their friends.

Take advantage of the great content that’s online and use it to engage with your Facebook fans. Here are four resources to find content for your social media marketing without having to do all the work: [Read more...]

25 Things That Make You Look Dumb on Twitter

Twitter is often compared to a cocktail party, where friends gather to share information and people connect through common interests.

But if you’re new to the party, there’s a good chance you’re going to make some mistakes.

These aren’t those Twitter mistakes that you read about in the paper or see on TMZ.

These are simple and easy-to-fix mistakes that are often made by people who just don’t know any better. (For me, it took having my boss at my first social media gig telling me to watch my spelling and to lay off the exclamation points.)

For you, I asked around at Constant Contact to see if anyone had any input on mistakes that make businesses look dumb on Twitter. (Also, check out 25 Things that Make You Look Dumb on Facebook.) [Read more...]

Ask an Expert: How to Pick the Right Social Network For Your Business

Do you or someone you know suffer from Social Media Information Overload (SMIO)?

SMIO is caused by too much information about too many social media platforms and not enough information about why these platforms are right for your business.

It’s exhausting and for some, incredibly frustrating.

Luckily there’s a cure.

I sat down with Erica Ayotte, social media manager at Constant Contact, to talk about which sites are best for helping small businesses market their brand.

Watch this week’s Ask an Expert to see which of the top sites are best for your industry and learn how your business can experiment with new social media platforms to find out if they work for you.

[Read more...]

Do Nonprofits Rock at Social Media Marketing? And Other Hot Topics

If you only learn one thing this week, have it be this: Nonprofits do, in fact, rock at social media marketing.

After all, social media marketing is all about building communities and engaging with your audience. Who knows more about that than nonprofits? Check out what one study had to say about the current state of social media marketing in the nonprofit sector.

Ever wonder why someone “Likes” your Facebook Page? Now we know the number one reason why. And find out how Google’s not-so-top-secret project could someday change the world in this week’s news roundup.

1. Nonprofits are more social than ever…and it’s working

Despite limited budgets and short staffs, nonprofits are making a continued investment into social media marketing and are seeing measurable results. According to the 2012 Nonprofit Social Networking Report, 98% of nonprofits have a Facebook Page and have an average community size of over eight thousand Fans. 72% of nonprofits are involved in Twitter and have an average following of over three thousand Fans.

Bottom Line: Social media is working for nonprofits and its working because organizations are effectively managing their time and budgets. A whopping 43% of nonprofits budget $0 for their social networking activities and 73% allocate half of a full-time employee to manage their social media presence. So how do they make it work? By using effective strategies, prioritizing their social media marketing efforts and maintaining a dedicated staff.

[Read more...]

Does Facebook’s Timeline Increase Engagement? One Study Says Yes (and Other Hot Topics)

If you’re ready to take a break from cursing Facebook’s latest change to Timeline for Pages, you may be interested to know that one study says some good things about the switch.

Twitter has launched a self-service ad platform for small businesses, online marketing use is set to increase and email is still the leader when it comes to online communication.

Check out these stories and more in this week’s news breakdown! [Read more...]

What is Social Spam? (And How to Avoid Creating It) [INFOGRAPHIC]

Spam isn’t just for email anymore.

As the use of social networks continues to grow, so does the number of professional spammers  looking to find their way into your social feeds.

But could you be inadvertently spamming your fans and followers as well?

Check out our latest infographic on social spam. Be sure to pay particular attention to the section on creating good social content. Armed with this reference you’ll never have to worry about creating social spam again.

Enjoy! [Read more...]