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Monthly Archives: December 2013

16 Free Tools That Make Content Creation Way Easier

31 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by leonidesignoryblog in Bloging, Content Marketing

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Best Practices, Community Management, Engagement, social media tools, social sharing

Photos, Images, and Screenshots

1) Awesome Screenshot

This Chrome extension allows you to capture three sizes of screenshots: the visible part of a page, the entire page (even below what you see on your screen), or an area you select. That’s not bad, but the real power of the tool is what comes next: cropping, adding notes and callouts, and the ability to print or save to your desktop or Google Drive.

2) ThingLink

I’ll be honest: I had a little too much fun using this tool. It allows you to upload an image andadd little icons that appear upon hover. Readers can interact with these icons, which range from images and videos you embed to links and messages you can create. You can also embed or share the image.

Two subtle but awesome features to add: First, you can embed without needing to mess with code to resize it. It gives you a simple sizing option. Love that! Second, after embedding, it seems to add a little “source” link in the bottom right, so you get proper attribution when others use your work or share it.

Below is one I created using a photo from a HubSpot scavenger hunt. (Note: I encountered some issues with the image on iOS, but some readers later told us the image worked fine on mobile.)

3) PlaceIt.net

PlaceIt serves a very specific purpose: It allows you to upload images of your site or product into real-world environments of people holding phones, tablets, and laptops.

For example, here’s one of the HubSpot website that I added onto an image of someone holding a phone, which PlaceIt provided me. The tool automatically altered the image to make it appear natural with the angle of the phone’s screen (which saved me time learning and/or editing in more advanced software to get the angle right).

placeit-1

It’s important to note that you’ll have to pay per image to get really large or high-resolution versions (though I found the above image just fine for blog and product page content). The paid downloads also remove the PlaceIt watermark from the bottom right.

4) HubSpot’s Free Stock Photos

We created these because we as a content team found searching for and buying stock imagery to be a huge pain in the butt, as was the challenge of deciphering legalese for different use cases. I have a liberal arts degree. Shakespeare and Nietzsche were easier to read than whatever legalese stock imagery companies give me. All I want to know is whether to cite or not cite a stock image of a laptop. Does that need to be this hard?

Anyway, with our stock photos, you can find free resources to bolster your content marketing efforts — whether it’s a unique image needed for an ebook or that perfect photo you want to attach to a blog post. (And if you want some for your holiday campaigns, oh boy do we have you covered.)

5) Skitch

Skitch is a free app that helps you communicate more visually. It lets you mark up images, digital assets, PDFs, and other files with arrows, callout boxes, text, and more. Although it’s free, it does require you to open an Evernote account, but that’s also free (and a great tool to use).

Skitch proved to be incredibly powerful because you can do it all in one place. (I work for HubSpot. I like all-in-one things, apparently.) In this example, I opened the program on my desktop and used the “Screen Snap” button to easily take a screenshot of the HubSpot home page, which opened right in Skitch for editing and exporting without needing to use other tools.

hubspot_skitch_example-1

Writing and Fonts

1) Word2CleanHTML

If you like drafting blog posts in programs like Microsoft Word, Evernote, or Google Drive, this tool can be your best friend. Why? Because apparently the CMS software execs all got together years ago and decided that drafting anywhere but inside their tools would lead to formatting madness for writers when you paste in your text: paragraph breaks come through too large or totally absent, font stylizing is gone, and, for some reason, your copy keeps turning bold and huge when you delete the line before it.

I kid, of course, but this tool is still awesome. Simply paste in your draft, click one button, and then copy the resulting HTML straight from the tool. When you paste that into your CMS (most will have buttons reading “HTML” or “</>” in their tool bar above your draft), it will appear nice and clean. No hair pulling or swimming through code needed.

2 and 3) Google Fonts and DaFont

Great for grabbing new and different fonts to spruce up your site pages, presentations, ebooks, and more. These are two sites worth bookmarking. Nice and simple!

Design Help and Assets

1) Canva

Oh, how I love Canva. The time and resources it takes to learn design and/or pay for design assets and/or get inspired to create beauty from scratch can be really difficult when you’re staring at a long list of to-dos. Canva, which launched earlier this year, offers a library of pre-made templates and assets that you can manipulate while also adding your own imagery.

Here’s a quick example I created in almost no time:

hubspot_canva_example

Canva charges you $1 for more “premium” assets and graphics found through their image search, but they have so much to choose from, there’s plenty of value for free. (Besides, designing important assets would cost you much more than a few dollars through other means.)

2) Infogram

This tool is similar to Canva but focuses more on infographics and data visualization in those graphics. And, in keeping with our theme, it accelerates your content creation process and helps you circumnavigate the larger, more complex design programs. (Up next, they’re apparently planning to launch “the world’s first video infographic creator.”)

They also offer compatibility with Microsoft Excel through Infogram Charts, and their infographics are responsive with mobile and tablet screens. (I can sense all of you nodding vigorously. I am too.)

3) Haiku Deck

Incredibly, the world is now turning PowerPoint presentations into compelling, beautiful content. While SlideShare and its distribution power has a huge role in that transformation of boring old slideshows, Haiku Deck actually helps you create them. This is a great tool for when you need quick, simple layouts, some big, beautiful images, and some font and typography help.

The only caveat I’d add is this: If you need to create very detailed slides, this may not be the tool for you. It’s wonderful for telling stories and creating speaking aids, but the board may not appreciate the beauty behind the big stock images and sexy, modern layouts and fonts. Just a thought!

4) HubSpot’s Resizable Icons Collection

Another challenge we face on the content team, just like with stock photos, is searching for elegant icons that resize without getting all fuzzy. So, because we’re sorta nuts like that, we created a collection of 135 of them.

Free icons? To that I say:

general-icons-26

And also:

free-icons-1

Because I can. Because I have free icons.

5) HubSpot’s Ebook Templates

Creating ebooks can help you add more value to your audience while also moving them further along the buyer’s journey. But they can be significant time investments and require not only a solid idea, but the ability to both write and design.

But, if you’ve read this post closely, we enjoy taking something hard and making it easy 🙂 So, naturally, we created a free sampling of customizable templates for your PDFs.

Using them saves our team the time it takes to start our designs from scratch, and because the templates are customizable, we can make each one unique and improve our reader experience each time.

Other Helpful Tools

1) Storify

Storify’s claim to fame has long been embedding Twitter conversations or individual tweets into your blog posts. However, you can create a ton of content easily and without much time needed by pulling in posts from most major social networks, plus links, videos, GIFs, and more.

It’s a great way to (literally) frame a conversation, then embed that onto your blog or site.

For example, let’s say I wanted to pull in a conversation about the hashtag #inboundmarketing. I just search under the Twitter option in Storify, drag and drop the tweets I want to include, and — presto — content curated in very little time:

2) Click to Tweet

This is more of a handy tool than it is a prolific content generator. Nevertheless, it helps you quickly and easily create tweetable links and text comments.

Remember the statement I opened with? “Robots haven’t replaced the writers.” Maybe I’m hoping it’s a tweetable quote that gets people to share my post. But rather than hope and pray you copy that text, open Twitter, compose a new tweet, and paste the phrase, I can just make it easier for you by doing something like this:

“Robots haven’t replaced the writers.” (Tweet this quote.)

Setting this up took all of 30 seconds. On the Click to Tweet site, select “Basic Link” and type out the text you want people to tweet, then add your post’s URL. I recommend shortening the URL with a service like bit.ly or goo.gl so you can both save characters and track clicks to your link.

Click to Tweet will generate a link for you that you can then add into your post however you like. In my example above, I decided to write out that copy and hyperlink the last part. If you can hyperlink text, you can use Click to Tweet.

3) HubSpot’s HTML Hacks for Marketers

The last resource I use often is a visual guide to several quick but useful hacks a non-developer can use in their work. We created this along with Codecademy, which aims to make learning code easier and simpler for all.

The hacks listed detail how to make small changes to HTML like altering headers and spacing, creating text in block-quote form, and inserting social share links. (My personal favorite is the hack to change font colors.)

 

Written by Jay Acunzo – Shared with permission Hubspot

Jay’s a Senior Content Manager at HubSpot, an ex-Googler, and co-founder of Boston Content, a community of 300+ content marketers & producers.

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5 Ways Pinterest Can Make Products More ‘Touchable’

26 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by leonidesignoryblog in Pinterest

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SOCIAL CONTRIBUTED PINTEREST PRODUCTSMARKETING VISUAL WEB

Guest author Charlotte Nichols is director of marketing at UGallery, a leading online art gallery.

Last year, online shopping brought in more than $225.5 billion—a 16% increase from 2011. And, earlier this year, 70% of more than 3,000 shoppers said that they prefer to shop their favorite retailer online. The digital buying experience is on its way to becoming the new norm.

But even as consumer preferences tilt towards e-commerce, the primary advantage held by brick-and-mortar retailers persists. Physical stores mean physical items. While we love to browse online, many still prefer to see some products “in person” before choosing to commit dollars to buy.

For e-tailers, this is an inherent disadvantage as our merchandise is viewed virtually, usually via imagery or video. Closing that gap, and bridging the divide between the physical and the digital to inspire buyer confidence means multiple touch points that imbue “tangibility.” The trick is to make a virtual item seem more physical.

Today, one of the most powerful tools for achieving digital-to-physical tangibility is Pinterest.

As a visual-first, image-oriented platform, Pinterest can make services and products offered online seem touchable in a way other social networks can’t. That’s why it is said Pinterest can drive more than 4 times as much revenue per click as Twitter and almost 30% more than Facebook. You can make the virtual “real.” But there’s more to it than just product pinning.

Here are 5 tips in using Pinterest to boost online sales.

Guest Pinners

As a marketing technique, guest pinning is recognized as a way to deliver access to a greater pool of potential, relevant customers. For e-commerce companies, guest pinners offer much more in the form of third-party validation from a known commodity. They humanize your offerings by anchoring them with a recognizable and familiar name. A guest pinner’s brand equity makes virtual products seem more concrete and touchable by virtue of association.

Etsy is a great example, using a number of influential guest pinners to make products tangible.

Staff Favorites

Similar to guest pinning, building “staff favorites” boards gives your followers and customers access to the personalities behind your company, humanizing your overall brand as well as the products and services showcased on the boards. This creates a cascade effect, making them more tangible to the consumer.

Zappos does this particularly well, drawing on what seems to be an army of merchandising assistants to curate boards and present personal favorites.

Take Advantage Of Captions

The rule of thumb is to keep Pinterest captions brief and let the images speak for themselves. Unfortunately for e-tailers, brevity can be a challenge, especially since detailed descriptions help make products more touchable, resulting in leads or sales.

I would also argue that being too brief and sacrificing a useful description weakens your pin’s sale opportunities. You’ll probably get a lot of re-pins, but the fact that you’re selling the service/item displayed gets lost. The key is to include straightforward captions with enough detail to build a complete view of the service/item in the mind of the consumer.

Gilt Groupe is a good example, with easy-to-read captions that also describe the product in a way that doesn’t undercut sales. JackThreads, on the other hand, is too focused on brevity. Without a description, items are too abstract.

Show Utility

Core to making a service or product touchable for an online audience is highlighting the offering’s utility and function. Showing how it can be used imbues it with tangibility that’s initially absent. Too often, site visitors are presented with products hovering in a white void, with no context for the value enabled by buying. Rather than using generic images that fail to offer any insight to a potential customer about how something can benefit them, you need to show your service/product in use.

Weddington Way, an online boutique for bridesmaid dresses, is a great example, pinning images of bridesmaids wearing their products on the big day. The focus is on the end result (the benefit)—and it’s a more powerful presentation than just the product.

Pin Like A Person

Making your products touchable starts with your brand. Guest pinners and staff favorites boards both lend personality and character, but you can carry this further by broadening your pins to capture brand-relevant content beyond your own products and services.

Look at Warby Parker—though they’re a glasses e-tailer (mainly), their boards are largely a collection of non-Warby Parker content that simply speaks to their brand. They’re pinning like a person—not like a company intent on selling something—which not only humanizes their pins, but makes their own products seem more real and relatable. It makes you want to buy right from the page.

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Twitter Advanced Search – Find those hidden gems

19 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by leonidesignoryblog in Advanced Search, Twitter

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Advanced Search, Best Practices, Marketing, Online Marketing, Twitter

twitter birdTwitter is a torrent of information. And those tweets just go whizzing by on your timeline!

Posted in Social Media By Ashley Faulkes On December 18, 2013

So with all the noise on Twitter, how do you find the information or people you are looking for?

Well luckily for us, Twitter has provided a simple tool and some powerful tricks to help you find the exact things you are looking for.

Let’s take a detailed look at Twitter Advanced Search and how it can help you.

Twitter Advanced Search Interface

Doing searches using the advanced search interface provided by Twitter is actually pretty easy.

This is what it looks like:

twitter social media search

You have four sections which you can fill out and help you find the tweets you are looking for.

I will break it down for you and provide some examples to help you understand how it works.

Words Section

The first is the Words section, which gives you lots of options for narrowing down your search.

Example 1.
If you wanted to find all the tweets containing blogging and fitness but not involving pilates.

  • Just put blogging and fitness in All of these words
  • Put pilates in None of these words

** Beware: These tweets will have both blogging AND fitness in them. If you want tweets with blogging OR fitness, use Any of these words

Example 2.

If you wanted to find all the tweets on blogging OR writing and including the topic weight loss. 

  • Just put blogging and writing in Any of these words
  • Put weight loss in This exact phrase

** We put weight loss in this exact phrase because we want tweets with these words written together (otherwise it could be weight and loss but anywhere in the tweet)

Example 3.

If you wanted to find all the tweets on blogging and fitness but not only in French. 

  • Just put blogging and fitness in All of these words
  • Choose French from the Written in list

Example 4.

If you wanted to find all the tweets on blogging and social media during the South by South West Festival in 2013 (#SXSW13).

  • Put blogging in All of these words
  • Put social media in This exact phrase (ensures you get these words together)
  • Put #SXSW13 in These Hashtags

People Section

This section is a lot easier to understand. You can add in the Twitter handles of people you want to find tweets:-

  • From these accounts 
  • To these accounts
  • Mentioning these accounts

All you need to do is type in a twitter handle or handles (eg. madlemmingz, justinbieber) into the field that does what you need.

Places Section

Because tweets are sent from a specific location, Twitter can help you narrow your tweets down to an area.

Simply type in where you want your tweets to come from.

For example,  if you are a physical business in Seattle, you might want customers near you – just type in Seattle and fill out any other relevant fields you need to find the tweets.

**Note: If you need a more accurate location, you can use Geocodes. There is more detail on this further down in this post – click this link if you want to jump to that.

Other Section

This section seems a little crazy, but it is actually quite helpful.

The attitude fields (positive, negative) help you find tweets where people are happy (or not). So you can use it to find people with problems your business can solve.

For example,  if you want to find people struggling to lose weight, just check the Negativeattitude field, and then type in weight lose in the All of these words field.

Similarly, you can find people who are asking questions, or only find retweets. All by checking the appropriate field.

Twitter Advanced Search – Power Tips

The Twitter Advanced Search Interface is great, but sometimes you want a more detailed query.

That is where the following section comes in handy. It shows you how you can do the same queries as above and more.

And another benefit is, you can do it easily from the main Twitter page by just typing into the search field at the top.

twitter social media search

Some of the extra possibilities you get include:

  • Date Range Searches
  • Location searches with a radius and Geolocation
  • Filters (specific content types)

The table below shows you the type of search, how you would do it, and the types of results you will get.

Search Type Example Results
Exact match “blogging tips” Tweets containing exactly this phrase ”blogging tips”
OR Search blogging OR writing Tweets containing “blogging” or ”writing”
AND Search blogging AND writing Tweets containing “blogging” and “writing”
NOT Search blogging -tips Tweets containing “blogging” and not“tips”
Question blogging tips? Tweets containing “blogging tips” in a question
Since a Date blogging since:2012-12-25 Tweets containing blogging tweetedsince 25th December 2012
Until a Date blogging until:2012-12-25 Tweets containing blogging tweeted until 25th December 2012
Near a Place near:San Francisco Tweets sent near San Francisco
Near a Place Within a Distance near:San Francisco within:15mi Tweets sent near San Francisco within 15 miles
From a User from:madlemmingz Tweets sent from madlemmingz
To a User to:madlemmingz Tweets sent to madlemmingz
Positive Attitude twitter social media search Tweets with a postive attitude
Negative Attitude twitter social media search Tweets with a negative attitude
Hashtag Search #bloggingtips Tweets sent near San Francisco
User Search @madlemmingz Tweets sent containing @madlemmingz
Filter by Language lang:de Tweets sent in German (de)
Filters filter:links Tweets sent containing links – or (retweets, replies, images)

**Languages: This is a list of common two letter language codes for language filtering

Examples Using Twitter Advanced Search

The above list of search possibilities might seem a little confusing, so I thought I would explain a few of the less obvious ones.

1. Searches based on Attitude

Twitter has found a way of determining if tweets are positive or negative, and by using these symbols in your search you can find these kinds of tweets.

One great example of this is if you as a marketer are trying to find people with a specific problem which you can help them solve, and perhaps lure them to your website.

Let’s say you are selling a guide on how to lose weight fast:  why not search for people who are having trouble losing weight?

Search: can’t lose weight 😦 

2. Searches based on Location

If you run a business with an actual store in the center of Seattle, then you are probably wanting to connect with or find customers nearby.

This is where Twitter location search comes in handy.

If you are selling nutrition supplements for adding muscle fast, you could search for people near you tweeting about this.

Search: can’t gain muscle near:Seattle within:15mi

3. Searches based on Specific Locations (Geocodes)

Location search can be a bit hit and miss with Twitter, so using Geocodes is your best bet.

I know, it sounds confusing, but just popover to this site and type in your address to get your Geocode.

Then, use the “Copy x,y” and add it (plus a search radius) to a search like this:

geocode:43.913723261972855,-72.54272478125,100mi

To break this down – it is the Latitude, Longitude, Search radius

This website has some great examples to show how you would use it in real life

And you can head over to this post on Twitter location search to see how to do it on TweetDeck, Hootsuite etc.

3. Searches based on a Question

This is a great way to find people who you might want to interact with.

For example, I stumbled across someone the other day (not actually using search, but by chance) who was asking if anyone knew how to migrate from blogger to wordpress?

If you offered this service, it could be something you are looking for with a search like:blogger wordpress migration ?

3. Filtering specific content types

Filtering is one of the things you can only do with this type of search.

Simply type in the word filter: following by any of the following types of content and you will only find tweets with this content in them:

  • retweets
  • replies
  • links
  • images
  • videos

For example, if I wanted to find all images related to Justin Bieber (some people’s favourite person): Bieber filter:images

Summary

There is alot of power in Twitter search, and it can really help you find people who need your help or services.

Combine the right kinds of words and filters, and you will be finding the people or tweets you need in no time.

Try out the Twitter Advanced Search Interface to begin with, but if you want more power and freedom, learn the special words and just type them into the search bar as you use Twitter.

Reblogged by permission:  Posted in Social Media By Ashley Faulkes On December 18, 2013  Photo credit: CarbonNYC via photopin cc

If you would like to read more by Ashley follow him on : http://madlemmings.com/2013/12/18/twitter-advanced-search-find-hidden-gems/

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How Brands Use Infographics To Create More Powerful Messaging

19 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by leonidesignoryblog in Bloging, community manager, Email Marketing, Facebook, Google+, LInkedIn, Marketing, Multi Channel Marketing, Twitter, Uncategorized, YouTube

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Infogrphics

With numerous different types and formats available, infographics provide ample space for creativity and analysis for brands, both in the kinds of information they capture and in their approach.

For customers, the form helps them quickly visualize complex issues. Together, that’s a recipe for engagement and messaging, making creative visualizations an ideal marketing format.

That said, not all infographics are created equal, and any quick search of the genre is sure to source any number of hilarious “fails.”

Here’s a deeper look at the kinds of approaches the most successful brands are taking for a lesson or two in how to get infographics right.

The Hard Data Infographic

How Brands Use Infographics To Create More Powerful Messaging image 121

Designed by mycleveragency using data collected by Brandwatch, the data visualization above entitled “Language on the Internet” explores a topic that’s of interest to just about anyone with a Twitter account: how social media is changing the way we speak.

In visualizing these stats, both Brandwatch and Mycleveragency can reach a broad base of people who are inherently interested in this subject and are highly likely to engage in sharing (I mean, who wouldn’t want to know what all those LOLs and ROTFLs mean for humanity?).

The precision of the stats chosen and the logical, seamless layout and flow of the infographic help establish both brands as marketing and design authorities — go-to experts for anyone looking to market their brand or just learn a little bit more about marketing best practices.

In this way, the engaging choice of topic and design help to expand the reach of both agencies, while the excellent research and communication that undergird the project establish both companies as niche authorities not to be ignored by the industry.

That’s the best of two worlds, in one infographic.

The Timeline Infographic

How Brands Use Infographics To Create More Powerful Messaging image 211

If you’re a music fan of any stripe (so, if you’re human), you’ve probably wondered how we’ve moved from gospel music to grunge.

oncertHotels, a booking service that helps you find rooms near events, capitalizes on this curiosity in the above infographic, “100 Years of Rock”, which helps viewers visualize the timeline of rock in less than a minute.

Though it doesn’t directly discuss what ConcertHotels does, it stays within the brand ecosystem, which is built on a passion for music.

And because the timeline also provides samples of music, the infographic provides a fully interactive experience in a single interface for a totally dynamic experience, ensuring the infographic will be well-shared.

That’s sure to sell a lot of rooms (and maybe some MP3s) in the long term.

The Guide or Process Infographic

How Brands Use Infographics To Create More Powerful Messaging image 3

One of the most popular forms of content on the internet falls into the “how to” genre, and the guide or process infographic is no exception.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as it reflects the shift from passive to active media consumption; viewers want their content to help them create or learn, not to pitch to them.

In “How to Create Perfect Posts on Social Platforms”, mycleveragency again takes a very popular yet mystifying subject and breaks it down in a step by step, highly-visual manner that makes it easy for just about anyone to follow.

In doing so, the infographic reinforces the brand’s influence as a social media expert, ready to help both novice and advanced users, both of whom are more likely to develop brand loyalty thanks to this helping hand.

Again, the infographic is inherently shareable, especially in niche social media groups, and it’s sure to get followers engaged.

The Location or Map Infographic

How Brands Use Infographics To Create More Powerful Messaging image 41

London may be one of the world’s great shopping capitals of the world, but few working people have the time or energy to expend on dashing all about the city to find that perfect gift.

Online shopping is one solution; using this interactive map entitled, “Where Should I Go Shopping in London?” is another.

Just click the stores you’d like to visit on the sidebar and they’ll automatically populate on the map so that you can head to the areas with the densest concentration of your target shops.

For the company that produced this infographic, Trainline, which helps customers find the best tickets and routes for their travels, this kind of route planning is well within their area of expertise, and just goes to prove so even further.

The Christmas angle makes the infographic timely, relevant and helpful. It’s highly likely that consumers would take this map with them on their shopping adventures, meaning the brand’s messaging will be in the palm of their hand wherever they go.

Note that there are many other effective ways to use maps to illustrate important points. Maps, just like infographics themselves, are a powerful tool for instantly capturing an important point that’s directly relevant to the people who care about the regions pictured.

The Quiz Infographic

How Brands Use Infographics To Create More Powerful Messaging image 51

There are few things people like quite so much as taking quizzes that reveal something about themselves. All the better if doing so involves a healthy dose of childhood. That’s something Two Little Fleas embraces wholeheartedly with the above “90s Nostalgia Quiz”.

The infographic is bound to be a hit with (you guessed it), a wide audience of ’90s kids who will definitely want to interact with the quiz and share their results on Facebook. That does a lot for the Two Little Fleas brand, as it brings more and more visitors to their site, where they’ll find even more quizzes and other fun games, recipes and quotes with which to engage.

The quiz is a quick, easy way to move potential consumers deeper into the brand.

The Takeaway

From hard hitting research to goofy quizzes, there are just about as many ways to approach an infographic as you can imagine.

But whatever your approach, an infographic is the perfect way to expand your viewership while still satisfying your diehard fans, establishing your authority and reinstating your authority within your niche.

Published by permission via B2B Community 

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https://my.copyblogger.com/join-authorit

16 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by leonidesignoryblog in Uncategorized

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https://my.copyblogger.com/join-authority/ http://ow.ly/rP9Xv

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5 Ways You Can Use LinkedIn as a Lead Generation Tool

16 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by leonidesignoryblog in LInkedIn

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Business, Lead Generation, LINKEDIN, LINKEDIN FOR BUSINESS, LINKEDIN LEAD GENERATION, LINKEDIN LEADS, LINKEDIN MARKETING, MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING, Online Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Trending

1. Enhance Your Profile

Your LinkedIn profile is a place where you can showcase your professional career. It is also a place to actively promote the value of your business to potential leads, so make the most if it!

A few ways to enhance your LinkedIn profile:

Complete your profile including past and current employer information, your background summary, special skills, education information plus all contact details including websites and social media networks. Make sure keywords specific to your industry are included.

  • Upload attachments such as letters of recommendation, client testimonials, presentation slide decks, or other information relevant to your occupation or industry.
  • Add a business headshot that best suits the professional LinkedIn atmosphere.
  • Create a strategically written headline that immediately allows community members to identify with and understand your value proposition.

  2. Make Thoughtful Connections

LinkedIn is an excellent way to connect with potential leads.  However, it is important to abide by LinkedIn best practices and avoid being viewed as a spammer.

If you are sending requests to connect, do not send one without adding a custom message. Sending the standard LinkedIn message does not explain who you are or what your purpose in connecting is.

The LinkedIn default message states, “I use LinkedIn to keep track of my professional network, and would like to add you.” If it sounds like an easy way to quickly send random new connections an invite, you would be wrong.

Take your time in identifying who you would like to connect with and be thoughtful in your intentions to connect. Re-work that standard message to include details about you, your company and a short explanation as to why you would like to connect.

  3. Participate In Groups

Joining a LinkedIn group relevant to your business or niche is a wonderful way to strengthen connections with like-minded individuals and connect with consumers interested in a particular product or with a specific need.

LinkedIn groups offer a space where members can share their experience, knowledge and wisdom in a trusted and credible environment.

Research and join groups that have similar interests to yours. Then actively participate to build credibility within the community. Become an enthusiastic member and network to build trust and relationships over time.

  4. Create a Group

In addition to the above LinkedIn lead generation concept, you have the ability to create your own group.

As the owner of a group, you are given extra privileges to communicate with your members through an email newsletter. This is a powerful way to generate leads by targeting a group interested in your specific niche or product.

Start daily conversations by asking questions, answering a frequently asked question, posting a video tip or providing a resource that consumers are eagerly in need of.  Your goal is to provide as much free information as possible and become a go-to resource within your industry or field.

  5. Paid Advertising

This opportunity might sound simple, but it remains a powerful way of generating the right leads through LinkedIn. You can purchase advertising and target a wide range of demographics ensuring that LinkedIn provides the quality leads you are looking for.

Used effectively, LinkedIn can serve as your main source of quality leads. How will you get started with LinkedIn lead generation today?

 

Originally written by Rebekah Radice and posted on Steamfeed.

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How to Use Google Analytics to Track Your Pinterest Efforts

16 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by leonidesignoryblog in Google Analytics, Pinterest, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Analytics, Google Analytics, Marketing, Metrics, Pinterest, Pinterst

FINALLY!!

Within Google Analytics you can measure the amount of traffic coming to your blog from most social networks including Pinterest.

Step 1: In the top right corner, select the date range you want to measure.

Select date range in Google Analytics

Step 2:From the menu on the right hand side of the screen select acquisition, then click on social.

Find social referrals in Google Analytics

Step 3:Click network referrals.

A screen will appear that lists the social networks referring traffic to your blog.  They will be listed in descending order from the network that sends the most traffic to your site down to the network that sends the least.

Measure social network referrals with Google Analytics

The resulting list will let you know how your traffic referrals from Pinterest stack up against other social networks. If you find that you are putting effort into Pinterest and seeing positive results, keep up the good work. If not, you might need to reassess you Pinterest strategy.

How to measure visits from your blog’s URLs shared on Pinterest

Step 1: From the network referral results list click on Pinterest.

In the example given, Pinterest is the top social network traffic refer, for your blog it might be lower on the list.

How to measure visits from your blog’s URLs shared on Pinterest

Step 2: When Pinterest is selected from the list a window will appear that shows the URLs from your blog that were linked to from Pinterest.

At the top of the list you’ll find the URL of the blog post or page that was most visited from Pinterest for the time period selected.

URLs linked from Pinterest

Having this information can be very helpful in determining what type of content resonates best with Pinterest users. Use this information to help guide future blog post topics and the images used in them.

How to measure which Pinterest pins are bringing you traffic

Each individual pin on Pinterest gets assigned its own URL. Google Analytics tracks how many times your site is visited from each individual pin.

Step 1: From the menu on the right hand side of the screen select acquisition, then click on all referrals.

Measure which Pinterest pins are bringing you traffic

Step 2: A list of all of the places online that refer traffic to your blog will appear.

Find Pinterest on the list and click.

Measure traffic from Pinterest pins

Step 3: A list of links from Pinterest that have referred traffic to your blog will appear.

On this list you might possibly see the link that comes from your Pinterest profile. This shows the importance of including the link to your blog in your profile. It gives Pinterest users a one-click way to get to your blog.

Pinterest pin links in Google Analytics

Screenshot 2013-12-16 09.31.15

There’s a small gray arrow next to each Pinterest pin. When clicked, it will open a new widow with that pin.

In this case, the top referring pin for this time period brought 163 visits to my blog. When I clicked on the gray arrow the pin below opened in a new window. I was surprised to see that is wasn’t a pin that was on my Pinterest board it was from another Pinterest account with over 1 million followers. It was repinned 43 times and liked 32 times.Track Pinterest pins in Google Analytics

I was sure to follow this pinner and repay the favor by following her and repinning from her Pinterest boards. Check the pins that are bringing traffic your way and you can find new accounts to follow that have already shown an interest in your content.

A word of caution, growth on Pinterest as with other social networks does take time. If you’ve only been active on Pinterest a short while you might not yet see Pinterest ranking high in your Google Analytics.

If you find that your efforts aren’t paying off after a significant amount of time you might need toreassess your Pinterest strategy. The amount of time varies depending on the amount of content you publish and your niche.

Google Analytics can provide you a wealth of knowledge about what is happening on your blog, taking a quick look to see if what you’re doing for Pinterest is really paying off and which pins are bringing visitors to your blog. You can use this information to learn more about the people who find your content interesting guide future blog posts or the kinds of images to use in your posts.

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30 Social Media & Blogging Influencers you should follow

15 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by leonidesignoryblog in Bloging, community manager, Marketing, Multi Channel Marketing, Online Marketing, Uncategorized

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Blogging, Community, Community Management, MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING, Online Marketing

I do realize that the title is a moving target since social media, influencers and online marketing in general is a moving target. Perhaps I should change the title to the 30 SM & Blogging influencers (for now) you should follow…hum let me ponder that, in the mean time this what I think now.

John Paul Aguiar

Twitter: @johnaguiar Website: http://www.johnpaulaguiar.com/ John is all about helping us make money on our blogs. He learned the hard way by getting himself of disability benefits in 11 months. His advice is gold.

Mike Allton

Twitter: @mike_allton Website: http://www.thesocialmediahat.com Mike knows his stuff when it comes to social media. He is also expert in many other areas: in his own words “Social Media, SEO, Blogging, Writing, Internet Marketing and Business Technology”. You should check out his blog.

Sarah Arrow

Twitter: @SarahArrow Website: http://www.sarkemedia.com/ Sarah is a Social Media and blogging expert, with a few books and blogs to her name too.http://birdsontheblog.co.uk is her group blog featured in the Forbes top 100 websites for women, and it also funds two girls at school in Uganda. If you are looking to get started on a Kindle book, she is your girl!

Meghan M Biro

Twitter: @MeghanMBiro Website:http://www.talentculture.com/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/ A knowledgeable lass and a contributor to Forbes, her areas of expertise are: HR, Social Media and Leadership. She is also a host of twitter chats: #TChat.

Chris Brogan

Twitter: @chrisbrogan Website: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ Chris is another influencer with a lot of klout. Has is co-author of a NYT best seller (The Impact Equation) as well as other books. He is on the board of advisors at Hubspot. and CEO/President of a publishing company (Human Business Works). Chris’ stuff is fantastic, especially in the area of writing and content development.

Danny Brown

Twitter: @DannyBrown Website: http://dannybrown.me/ What more can you say about someone who has the following awards for his blog:-

  • #1 marketing blog in the world by HubSpot
  • Social Media Examiner’s Top 10 Social Media Blog in 2011 and 2013.
Jeff Bullas

Twitter: @jeffbullas Website: http://www.jeffbullas.com/ Jeff is another influential blogger who’s blog receives over 4 million hits a year. His blog covers a broad range of topics from social media tips to online marketing advice from.

Lilach Bullock

Twitter: @lilachbullock Website: http://www.socialable.co.uk/ Lilach calls herself three things: business owner, social media consultant and internet mentor. She has published various books and is often quoted by top newspapers as well as the BBC.

Heidi Cohen

Twitter: @heidicohen Website: http://heidicohen.com/ Heidi is all about marketing. She has published over 1000 posts and was named in the Social Media Examiner’s Top 10 Social Media Blogs, two years in a row.

Jim Dougherty

Twitter: @leaderswest Website: http://leaderswest.com/ Jim shares great Social Media content and loads of amazing infographics. Not your standard SM blog, you should also add this to your “must read list”.

   Enjoying this amazing list? Why not Tweet it?

Steve Farnsworth

Twitter: @steveology Website: http://stevefarnsworth.wordpress.com/ He is your man for Social media, To start with, Steve is Chief Digital Strategist at Jolt.  He has also been:-

  • One of the Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers.
  • One of the top influencers on Twitter with over 100k followers
  • Included in The Top 35 “Connectors” on Twitter.
Kim Garst

Twitter: @kimgarst Website: http://kimgarst.com/blog/ A great resource for all things social media, Kim has a strong presence on Twitter and on Google+ with her community Boom! Social Media with Kim Garst.

Kristi Hines

Twitter: @kikolani Website: http://kristihines.com‎ AND http://kikolani.com/‎ Kristi Hines is guest blogger extraordinaire!! You see her everywhere and she knows and researches everything. If you are not reading her posts on SEO, social media, blogging, guest blogging and…..get to it.

Ana Hoffman

Twitter: @AnaTrafficCafe Website: http://www.trafficgenerationcafe.com/ Ana is all about getting you traffic. I have used loads of her tips and man do they work. She is also on the pulse of social media, SEO and what Google is up to. I think she has Matt Cutts phone number too, if you ask nicely :>

Michael Hyatt

Twitter: @MichaelHyatt Website: http://michaelhyatt.com/ Another of Forbes top 50 social media influencers, Michael’s focus is leadership. That is not to say it’s all he writes about; he also offers advice on social media, personal development and productivity too.

Sté Kewer

Twitter: @dukeo‎ Website: http://dukeo.com/ Sté is all about blogging and online success. His blog will help guide you along the way to making money online. Check it out.

Aaron Lee

Twitter: @askaaronlee Website: http://askaaronlee.com/ Aaron is a strong presence on Twitter, with nearly 500k followers and No. 4 in the Top 100 Small Business Experts to Follow on Twitter.. He is all about using social media to help you grow.

Scott Monty

Twitter: @scottmonty Website: http://www.scottmonty.com/ Scott is global head of social media at Ford. So he has a little experience on the matter. His personal blog shares all his wisdom and is certainly worth a look.

Neil Patel

Twitter: @neilpatel Website: http://quicksprout.com Neil Patel is the co-founder of Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics amongst other achievements. He was in the top 100 entrepreneurs under the age of 30 listed by President Obama. If you want to learn about SEO and how to get backlinks – you have to read his posts and guides.

   Enjoying this amazing list? Why not Tweet it?

Amy Porterfield

Twitter: @amyporterfield Website: http://www.amyporterfield.com/ Amy Porterfield is a Facebook guru – proof? She is author of Facebook for Dummies. She says on her blog

…after working with Mike Stelzner of SocialMediaExaminer.com, I discovered Facebook. It was a total love affair.

Annetta Powell

Twitter: @AnnettaPowell Website: http://www.annettapowellonline.com/ Annetta Powell is an accomplished blogger. Also known as “the success coach”, she will show you the way to blogging success, no doubt about that. And she will use a variety of media to help you along the way too!

Rebekah Radice

Twitter: @RebekahRadice Website: http://rebekahradice.com/ Rebekah says she is a: social media strategist, content developer, brand manager and social media trainer. I love her posts on social media. She has lots of knowledge to share!

Darren Rowse

Twitter: @problogger Website: http://www.problogger.com/ Darren is Problogger, one of the best sources on how to blog for profit. He is also a fellow Aussie (gotta count for something right!)

Mark Schaefer

Twitter: @markwschaefer Website: http://www.businessesgrow.com Mark has a lot of Twitter and Blogging awards and rightfully so. Like all great influencers, he has also been busy publishing great books! His blog is a little more business oriented, but has lots of gems on Blogging and Social Media as you would expect.

Ann Smarty

Twitter: @seosmarty Website: http://www.seosmarty.com/  Ann Smarty has an industry leading SEO blog. She was previously the editor in chief of SearchEngineJournal.com,and a contributor to SEOMoz. She is founder ofMyGuestBlog.com, a place to find and share guest posts and more recently, she has started ViralContentBuzz.com where you can get your quality content shared on social media.

Adrienne Smith

Twitter: @adriennesmith40 Website: http://www.adriennesmith.net/ Known as the “ Engagement Superstar” and for good reason. Adrienne will not only email you when you subscribe to her blog…..she will drive to your house with flowers! Almost. If you want to learn how to engage with your readers – seriously, there is no better place to go.

Ileane Smith

Twitter: @Ileane Website: http://basicblogtips.com/ Ileane is the girl to help you get started with blogging and social media. Heavily involved in the community, she is always there for her readers.

Brian Solis

Twitter: @briansolis Website: http://www.briansolis.com‎ Mashable named Solis one of the “25 Twitter Accounts That Will Make You Smarter”. He blogs about social media and disruptive technology amongst other things. He is a prolific speaker and writer, and has his hand in just about everything.

Mark Traphagen

Twitter: @marktraphagen‎ Website: https://plus.google.com/+MarkTraphagenGoogle+ guru since day 3 and in over 60 thousand circles. If you want G+ info, he is your man. He is also Director of Digital Outreach at Virante.

Gary Vaynerchuck

Twitter: @garyvee Website: http://www.garyvaynerchuk.com Social media guru, entrepreneur, author, speaker and wine afficiondo Gary has been there and done it all. You can certainly learn a thing from him and his blog.

Feel free to add your thoughts to this list.

 

 

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Social Media Best Practices

15 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by leonidesignoryblog in Multi Channel Marketing, Online Marketing, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Best Practices, Blogging, Community, Community Management, MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING, Online Marketing, social media tools

I have been preaching about the proper use of social media, especially Twitter, lately.

And I thought this infographic was a different point of view and way to get across some ideas of social media best practices you should all be aware of.

Effective Social Media Best Practices and Marketing

Last week I did a guest post on Dear Blogger on this topic. It was about using social media correctly.

But there were a lot of points I did not go over, many of which are covered in this great infographic below. Basically, it covers a whole range of the current social media best practices.

I will let you read it first, then summarize what i think are the most worthwhile points at the end.

twitter social media pinterest google+ google plus facebook

Everyone has a different opinion, and there are no real rules when it comes to social media best practices.

After reading this infographic,  I found the following to be the most important points:

  • There are no shortcuts, be patient (it takes time and patience to get going on social media)
  • Contribute something of value – or don’t contribute at all
  • Have clear goals of what you want to achieve on social media
  • Provide quality posts not just a massive quantity
  • Don’t just promote yourself (use the 70/30 rule – max 30% your stuff)
  • Connect with people and respond to connections (don’t ignore, always thank, be polite etc)
  • Adapt to the ever changing social media landscape (keep up to date)

I know many of you social media bunnies out there will be well aware of all these things, but it is worth highlighting them all again.

Social media seems like an easy thing when you start out, but there are so many hidden rules, it makes it hard for the newcomer to make a go of it.

I know I wish I had found such great infographics with all the social media best practices listed for me!

It has quickly become quite a popular blog on the web, covering Social Media, Blogging, WordPress, SEO and all that is related to these topics. My aim: to pass on my knowledge – and what I learn, have learned and am sometimes still learning along the way – to you, my dear reader!

Again, I guess you could say I am lucky. If I had not broken my leg, I would not be here today, loving the blogging and social media life, connecting with great people such asLorraine, who offers editing tips for bloggers, and writing to you on Greg’s blog.

Where did the name Mad Lemmings came from?

Greg recently asked me where the name Mad Lemmings came from. After all, most blogs have quite serious names, somehow related to their content.

While I was starting my blog, I was kinda sick of seeing all these sites and their boring names (no offense to the other bloggers) so I thought something catchy would be best. Create a brand, and stand out is good advice!

In a flash of inspiration, Mad Lemmings just came to me! Maybe because I had played that video game with the crazy lemmings falling off the cliff as a kid? Who knows.

So that is my blogging story, about how I came to be a blogger. I’ve got many interests and and have worked as a web developer for years. I didn’t find the time to blog until my accident. I also didn’t have the time to become so heavily involved in social media until then.

Which brings me to the reason why I am here today.

Today I thought I would take this awesome opportunity to teach you all a little social media savvy, from what I have learned over the recent months.

Pick a card, any card

Sorry about that heading. I am a little into magic. But what this actually means is: in the beginning of your social media life, pick a platform, any platform.

And stick with it for a while.

Don’t spread yourself too thin, or you won’t succeed at anything. This is never truer when it comes to social media.

There are so many platforms, and I know you want to be on them all. You can be, but just take your time with each each one.

Focus on one at a time. Build your following. Then expand to the next.

It will pay off in the end. You will get decent traffic from your chosen platform, rather than just a trickle or less from all of them when you first start.

Speak the lingo

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when using social media is not using the right format, words, links or language.

Speaking the “local language” can actually make a huge difference, and it is something you should be aware of for the social media platform you are focusing on.

For example, on Twitter you only have 140 characters to get your message across. So there are a lot of things you need to consider in order to construct the perfect tweet.

Google Plus is another very fickle platform. Most people just write a quick sentence, add a link and think you’re done. There is actually a better way of doing this, and the Google Plus gurus can tell you how to really create the perfect Google Plus post.

Likewise, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest also have very specific techniques and methods you can use to optimize your posts, so make sure you know what they are.

Just take a quick look on Google search. You will find a lot of information on how to perfect your posts on whatever social media platform it is you are focusing on.

Share the love

One of the fundamental tenets of social media is sharing. You will hear many a blogger and social media guru talk about it. But what do they really mean?

Well, I will continue with Twitter as my example, as that is my main social media home.

If you were skimming about, make sure to read this next part!

On Twitter you have the opportunity to share a boatload of content throughout the day. Each tweet only has a limited life (minutes? seconds, sometimes!) so you can certainly tweet a lot.

But what your followers on Twitter are expecting is that you tweet more than stuff about yourself and your products or posts.

Sure, they want to get to know you. So tweeting a little about yourself is okay. However, when you are tweeting for your blog or business, it should be mostly professional.

You should share other peoples’ stuff. This is super-important!!! More specifically, share posts from the people in your niche.

Trust me on this one. You will get noticed more if you share a lot of other relevant and interesting information. Just sprinkle your self-promotion in among them. People expect you to.

They just don’t like having your products shoved at them all the time. By mixing it up, you’ll get noticed faster.

Use an amplifier

There are a lot of ways that you can increase your reach and amplify your voice on social media.

One of the first ways is getting to know influential people in your niche.

Don’t go for the most influential people at first, because getting noticed takes time. But if you aim for mid-level people, you will get attention far more easily.

Sharing their content is important, as is interaction. Comment on their tweets. Always give thanks for retweets. And sometimes just a little bit of chit-chat goes a long way.

Another way to extend your reach on social media is to make use of the many sharing platforms out there.

I know what you are thinking, what kinds of platforms? Well there are a lot, but some examples off the top of my head include: Triberr, JustRetweet, ViralContentBuzz, andEmpire Avenue.

If you want some more detailed information on how to use these sites, I have done another guest post on this very topic.

The beauty of these platforms is that many of the mid- to high-level influencers use them. So you will get social media love from many people, and sometimes, from the big guns too.

You will see your stats spike when that happens. It has happened to me before, and the rush is awesome!

Increase your following

All of the above tips will get you far. Believe me, I have improved a lot in social media over the last few months, and it is these strategies that have helped.

But what you also need to be doing, just a little each day, is increasing your following.

If this is something you want to do on Twitter, I can help you out for sure. My current stats include nearly 4300 followers and this is what my growth looked like over the last 3 months.

madlemmingz twitter growth

In fact I am in the process of publishing an eBook on this very subject. So stay tuned for that!

In the meantime, here are a few tips you can use to increase your following.

  • Follow influencers in your niche
  • Follow their followers
  • Follow people who retweet your posts
  • Follow people using hashtags in your niche.
  • Follow people you know from other social media platforms

Of course this all applies to Twitter, but the ideas are the same across all social media.

Quick Interjection from Greg…As I mentioned in Lorraine’s check-list, I always planned to blog solo here. I felt this would make it easier to connect 1-1 with you – and keep those connections going.

This worked for about 5 months until I basically fell off a blogging cliff; I didn’t anticipate our scale of growth or readership.

In blogging it can be dangerous to think you can control everything or that things will always stay the same – they won’t. It’s adapt or graveyard, and as the blog grew it became clear I needed a team to keep our quality levels high, and to keep me grounded.

When I found two other bloggers with the excitement and vision for fluffless blogging answers I outlined in our first post ever, I knew it was time.

Blogs I worship – CopyBlogger, ProBlogger, FirePoleMarketing – all started as one person then expanded. I’m not saying my goal is to be them or anything; it’s quite different. But this helps.

That said, I introduce you to Lorraine, the excitably writer/editor/teacher who turns simple WordPress pages to gold, and now Ashley, the quiet Swiss webmaster who always has the right plugin or fix for your site.

Taking them on here was 5% about my own agenda and 95% about delivering new answers to you.

Trust that I’ll write more on this – a formal welcome – soon, but for now I needed to bring you, especially you long-term readers, up to speed.

Now, back to Ashley…

Summary

Social media can seem very difficult when you are first starting out, so take it easy, and just focus on one platform at a time.

Research what the perfect formats are for your chosen social media platform, and use those.

Share other peoples’ stuff and watch the benefits roll in.

Last but not least, connect with relevant people in your niche however you can.

If you have any questions or ideas you want to share, I would love to hear from you in the comments below! And feel free to drop in to Mad Lemmings and say hi!

Infographic brought to you via  Ashley Faulkes On December 11, 2013

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The Forgotten Social Media Metric: You =

15 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by leonidesignoryblog in community manager, Google+, LInkedIn, Marketing, Multi Channel Marketing, Online Marketing, Pinterest, PR, Twitter, YouTube

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Behavior, Community, Community Management, Engagement, Infographics, Research, Social Media, social media manager, Social Media Marketing

Social Media Managers are a weird species. If you take a look at the LinkedIn profile of any real Digital Marketer or Social Media Marketer, you’ll notice that their skills vary from Analytics, to Marketing and Promotions, to Client Relationships to severe alcoholism. And what’s even weirder – they’re actually endorsed for all of those things (especially the alcoholism).

It’s no secret that there are a vast array of skills you need to succeed in social media – and that every social media marketer and community manager is constantly working at enhacing those skills and picking up some more in the process. Makes you think we should really be getting paid more!

Looking at it from a broad perspective, the following skills are what are probably the most important “buckets” as such that community managers need to focus on:

  • Interaction & People Skills
  • Content Skills
  • Project Management Skills
  • Analytical Skills
  • Crisis Management Skills
  • Technical Skills
  • Marketing & Promotional Skills
  • Ethics

That probably covers all the aspects of community and social media management. An interesting infographic from GetSatisfaction I came across also talks about the various duties a community manager undertakes – pretty nifty I thought. Many Hats of a Community Manager

But do you as a community manager know how good you are in each of these skills? Can you honestly say that yes, you’re good at Analytics, or no you’re not good at Project Management?

Circus Social has put together a fairly in-depth quiz, a 40 question multiple choice one that asseses you on these very categories. The quiz has a massive question bank out of which you get 40 questions at random that give you real life social media situations with three options that you can choose from. On completing the quiz, you get a breakdown of your score by each category – how well you did in Analytics, how well you did in Project Management, how well you did in Ethics etc. It gives you an interesting insight into your strengths and weaknesses as a social media manager and gives you the major pain points where you need to focus to become a better and well rounded social media and community manager.

Results Breakdown of the Social Media Manager's QuizOn being graded against other social media managers – you can actually see whether you’re really lacking in a field where everyone is excelleing, or whether you’re lacking in a field in which the general expertise level of social media managers is pretty low.

Sure, you can always measure how well your community is doing or how well your Facebook page and Twitter account are doing when you track engagement and re-tweets – but could it be possible that the reason you’re not getting enough retweets or not getting enough engagement be because you’re lacking something in Project Management and need to rethink the way you execute a campaign?

Could it be that you’re lacking in Analytics – and therefore need to get better at tracking results and engagement to amplify certain parts of your content? Or could it just be that you’re lacking in Marketing and Promotions as a social media manager and need to rethink how the marketing works around your brand.

There are plenty of tools out there that let you evaluate your page performance and track mentions for your brand, but maybe it’s time that we take a look inside ourselves as social media managers and tried to find what part of our personality isn’t making our social media campaigns work.

 

Cross posted by permission Social Media Today

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