Social Media

7 Secrets From Social Media Super Users

by Aubre on January 30, 2012

{Image by Emilie Ogez}

Building a fan following from scratch can seem overwhelming. So how do social media consultants do it? Here are a few tips that social media super users follow to gain more fans and keep communities happy.

1. Shamelessly Self Promote
If there are no social media icons on your website’s home page, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to gain new fans every time someone visits your website. It’s the easiest way to drive traffic to your new Facebook page or Twitter account, yet I’ve seen many clients avoid it…for months…and months. There are even official Facebook plug-ins you can grab for your site. Easy, peasy.

In addition to home page icons, add your vanity URL (the easier to spell, pretty-looking URL you must claim) to your marketing materials and to your email signature. Self-promote means cross-promote too. On Facebook and LinkedIn, you can add a link to Twitter in your info section or feed your tweets on your page. If you don’t want to feed all your tweets to Facebook, Involver has a free, separate Twitter tab you can add to your page.

2. Tag others
The “@” symbol isn’t just for Twitter. Use it on Facebook posts, too. Simply type the page’s exact name after the “@” and select the correct page from the drop-down menu that appears. (On the off chance that the page doesn’t appear, try ‘liking’ the page first.) If you’re hosting a career fair at a university, tag the university. If you’re sharing an article link, tag the publication. Other pages are notified when you’ve tagged them and your post will appear on their wall (as long as they allow comments and posts to appear from users on their wall). So when people visit their page, they’ll see your post too. On Google+, the “+” symbol does the same job.

3. Geo-target Your Posts
If you’re a national or international company with hundreds of thousands of followers and you want to promote a single job fair in Denver or a grand opening in Miami without bothering everyone, you can send a Facebook post to only people in that area. As you type your Facebook update, look at the “Share” button beneath it and the “Public” setting next to that. Select “Location/Language” from the drop-down menu then follow the prompts to geo-target your post.

4. Interact
Social networks are about being social. ‘Like’ other pages and showcase them on the side of your page. Under Edit Page>Featured, you can select five “featured likes” that best represent your page. Maybe it’s a parent company, a sister site, or an affiliation.

Facebook and Google+ also allow you to leave comments on other pages as your page. If you’re a fashion retailer and a magazine posts a link to a special feature on your new line of clothing, leave a “Thanks!” below the link. If you’re a company and the local business school posts a link to your internship, encourage students to apply with a little message. Or click ‘Share’ to re-post another page’s content on your wall. And of course, Twitter isn’t Twitter without a little re-tweeting. Why are you doing this? Because if you give some, you get some. The more eyes on your posts and page, the better.

5. Keep Links Clean
Got a long, ugly link to post on your wall? Shorten it — and personalize it — at bit.ly first. Bit.ly also keeps track of how many clicks your shortened link gets. Or, here’s another tip — once you’ve copied a link onto your post and the preview pane appears below, you can delete the link within the post. The preview pane will stay and fans will still be able to click the link via the preview pane.

6. Make It Look Pretty
Never underestimate a good profile picture, and change it with the seasons if you can. Have you noticed that many companies take advantage of the long vertical space for profile pics? You should, too!

Don’t forget to make your posts interesting by using quality images — especially now that Facebook has greatly increased their size. There are hundreds of thousands of high-quality images that are free to use at Flickr.com  if they are under the Creative Commons license and if you credit the photographer. (I go to Search>Advanced Search>Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content.) I like to tag the picture with the photo’s direct link or add a note in my post that says, “Photo Credit: X.”

 7. Create a Welcome Tab
There are lots of ways to create your own welcome tab, but I’m a big fan of using the free Static HTML app from Involver. See how it looks on my Facebook page. Choose to upload a simple image (it won’t be clickable) or get your web developer to help you with a little bit of HTML to make your image link to your website. Once it’s set up, under Edit Page>Manage Permissions, select the default landing tab as the Static HTML page. To change the name from “HTML” to “Welcome” (or in my case, “Hire Me”), go to Edit Page>Apps>Static HTML for Pages>Edit Settings.

Feeling overwhelmed? That’s where the social media consultants come in. I’ve managed Facebook pages and Twitter accounts for brands like EXPRESS, WIRED, Six Flags, Rosewood Hotels, Michael Page International, Home City Ice, SOS Staffing, St. John’s School, First Student Canada, Spectrum Brands, and more. If you’re interested in my social media consulting services, contact me today.

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How A Freelance Writer Can Help You Launch Your New Business

by Aubre on December 29, 2011

DIGS Moda, a NYC fashion boutique, has been the Upper East Side’s “best-kept secret” for about 6 years. With a new partnership and the grand opening of an e-comm site and a flagship SoHo store on the horizon, they needed some help. Quick.

I stepped in to create an About Us story for their new site, consulted on their product descriptions for their new e-comm site, and created a Facebook page for DIGS. After a one-hour consulting call, I’ll make sure the executives at DIGS understand how to update the page, create a custom Welcome tab, and learn a few other Facebook page tricks and tips.

It’s a little marketing, a little writing, and a little PR that will make the opening of their new business more successful and more professional. If you’re launching a new business and need help with catchy home pages, about us stories, Facebook pages, or any other marketing copywriting (print brochures, product descriptions, emails, etc.), shoot me an email.

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How to Build, Promote, and Grow Your Facebook Careers Page

by Aubre on October 24, 2011

{via Dave Agnew}

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

This same question can be asked of social media pages, but the answer is much less philosophical. If you build a Facebook careers page but no one sees it, it definitely won’t make an impact on your employment brand or recruiting efforts. I wrote a 3-part series for TalentMinded on how to successfully run a Facebook careers page in 3 months.

Month 1: Build a Strong Foundation for Your Facebook Careers Page  (via TalentMinded)
Learn how to create a strategy, define your process, and develop a contact plan.

Month 2: Promote Your Facebook Careers Page (via TalentMinded)
Read how promoting internally and cross-promoting among other social networks are the top two ways to get more fans and more interaction.

Month 3: Grow Your Facebook Careers Page  (via TalentMinded)
Now that your page is up and running, it’s time for external promotion as well as a content tune-up.

Like a campfire, new social media pages need constant attention and nurturing before you can sit back and enjoy a steady flow of fan engagement. If you need help developing or implementing your Facebook careers page, check out my social media portfolio then contact me.

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We Have No Social Media Presence! Where Do We Begin?

by Aubre on September 28, 2011

{Image: WebRanking Pictures}

As a business, the world of social media can seem overwhelming from the outside. So much time and effort and what’s even the payoff? The truth is that one social media site may be more suited to you than the others. I wrote a three-part social media strategy series for TalentMinded, a CareerBuilder blog. While this series focuses on recruitment, any company can learn more about the benefits, unique aspects, and time commitments for each social media strategy:

Facebook
With over 750 million active users, it’s clear that Facebook is the top-dog of social networks. And, Nielsen’s Social Media Report shows U.S. internet users spend more time on Facebook than any other website overall, at 53.5 billion minutes in May 2011, beating out runner-up Yahoo! by over three times!

Relevant job listings combined with top-notch career advice are just two of the information streams both passive and active job seekers look for on Facebook. And by creating a separate careers page, you’ll have the ability to reach new talent every day. If you’re hesitant about using a social platform for professional networking, remember that there are a few exclusive benefits that make Facebook a great place to recruit. Read more of my Social Recruitment Strategy Series: Facebook at TalentMinded.

Twitter
Twitter is like Facebook’s younger sibling: posts are shorter, it has far less active users and it hasn’t been around quite as long. However, despite its many differences, Twitter is continually gaining popularity as a space for users to get the latest news, share content and connect with people around the world – in 140 characters or less.

Twitter’s simplicity lends a hand to candidates seeking job postings, career advice and professional networking opportunities. And the ‘list’ tool makes it a breeze for job seekers to group their streams into specialized feeds of information like companies hiring, job openings and resume tips. Read more of my Social Recruitment Strategy Series: Twitter at TalentMinded.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is often grouped with other major social media players, like Facebook and Twitter, but in reality, LinkedIn is a professional network designed specifically for job seekers. While the site now boasts some commonly used social features like a feed with status updates, connection activity and popular blog posts, it originated as a place for professionals to connect and share their experiences.

Company pages on LinkedIn allow users to stop by your official home on the site to view corporate information, available career opportunities and the profiles of current employees – adding a human element to your organization. Read more of my Social Recruitment Strategy Series: LinkedIn at TalentMinded.

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What’s the Difference Between Social Media Marketing and Social Media Recruiting?

by Aubre on September 13, 2011

{Image via Miss 604}

A client recently asked me to explain the difference between social media marketing and social media recruiting. The answer? They’re exactly the same! Social media is social media regardless of whether you’re recruiting, networking, or simply socializing with friends. It inspired me to write this post for TalentMinded, CareerBuilder’s new social media recruitment blog.

Marketing a product or a service is all about identifying an audience and proactively reaching them with the right message to inspire action. Selling your company as a place to work is no different! Despite the similarities, marketing has historically been much better at targeting specific audiences, while HR used broad appeal mediums in hopes that the right talent would find them.

Until now.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a consumer goods brand, a local fashion boutique, or a national restaurant chain – solid social media concepts are universal:

  1. Bring the brand to life with a distinct, likeable voice.
  2. Establish and grow an online community by making that voice relevant.
  3. Foster a sense of trust and engage your audience with valuable content.
Read more about the 3 Concepts HR Must Borrow From the World’s Best Marketers at TalentMinded.

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Does Your Facebook Careers Page Need a Makeover?

by Aubre on August 29, 2011

{Image via JoelnSouthernCA}

After working on a lot of social media campaigns for staffing agencies and HR departments over the past year, I needed to gather my observations into a post: 5 Reasons Your Facebook Careers Pages Stinks. Just because it’s a page focused on recruiting, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. In fact, it should be fun — and follow all the same social media rules and etiquette as any other company Facebook page.

A thriving social recruiting presence isn’t easy to create. It’s tempting to automate some of the work and prioritize only the tasks related to filling urgent openings. Beware – a shortcut mentality can undermine your efforts and jeopardize the long-term benefits of social recruiting.

Check out the five most common social recruiting mistakes to see if you’re in need of a Facebook intervention.

  1. Posting Too Often.  From recruiting events to new job openings, you have a lot to say. But heed caution – fans are more likely to hide a page in their newsfeed or ‘unlike’ it when posts are made in excess of 3 times per day. Pare back posts or occasionally target posts by location or language to prevent fans from being inundated by irrelevant updates.
  2. Posting All At Once.  Some Facebook careers pages publish a handful of posts all within 5 minutes – a practice that can seem like spam in your fans’ newsfeed. Facebook will truncate multiple posts made within a short timeframe to show up as one update in your fans’ newsfeeds. This means, only one post from your page is seen – not the specific details about recruiting events or individual jobs you intended to share. Prevent this by posting at morning, mid-day and evening intervals throughout the entire week.

Read the rest of my post at CareerBuilder’s new blog TalentMinded. If you’re interested in hiring me to help your Faecbook careers page, check out my social media specialties.

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