Strategic Social Networking

A Protected Digital Footprint Can Equal an Untarnished Digital Reputation

The recent faux media regarding an assault on the White House has a lot of corporations and federal agencies re-evaluating their social media security protocols. The FCW article “Agencies Shore up Social Media Security” discusses possible changes that could potentially help decrease social networking hacks before damage to the digital footprint is done.

GSA’s Center for Excellence in Digital Government new media manager Justin Herman explained:

“Federal guidelines will continue to evolve at the speed at which technology and capabilities demand. With changes like two-tiered authentication for social media accounts potentially on the horizon, and increased public interaction with federal agencies via social media, it’s a good bet the guidelines will be updated more frequently going forward. Everything now is based on capabilities we have at this moment, but the minute that apps change or policies and protocols or security services in the platforms themselves change, we’ll be on top of it and make sure the rest of the federal government knows about it too.”

Social media is evolving and logic dictates those that want to succeed will also evolve. Thus, strengthening the security around their digital footprint is a must, as it is much easier to interact and reach company goals with an untarnished digital reputation. Businesses ready to increase security but unsure of the current digital challenges will find the social media professionals at Arnold IT can evaluate, locate and eliminate social networking vulnerabilities, protecting their digital image.

Jennifer Shockley, May 24, 2013

If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.

The Power of Social Media can Potentially Resurrect a Dying Business

May 23rd, 2013 | Posted by admin in Entrepreneur | social media | Strategy - (0 Comments)

JC Penney’s has been around since 1913 but a few changes in policy and some bad social media had devastating effects, however… it looks like social media might just save their day. The WebPro News article “Will JC Penney’s Social Media Strategy Help It Win Back Customers?” talks about the changes that could have led to the department store’s demise and the social networking catch phrase that could lift them out of the ashes.

Newly reappointed JC Penney CEO Mike Ullman explained:

“While JC Penney has faced a difficult period, its legacy as a leader in American retailing is an asset that can be built upon and leveraged. To that end, my plan is to immediately engage with the Company’s customers, team members, vendors and shareholders, to understand their needs, views and insights. With that knowledge, I will work with the leadership team and the Board to develop and clearly articulate a game plan to establish a foundation for future success.”

As I said at a recent social media conference:

“Ullman’s new mantra “JC Penney’s Listens” is not the corporate giants’ salvation but the fact their social media team is listening, and responding is. Consumers love to be heard and JC Penney has recognized, re-evaluated and reacted in a much more positive way by communicating with their targeted audience.”

Will the wonders of social media never cease? Let us hope not, as a well-planned social strategy apparently has the power to resurrect a dying business. Those that still doubt the potential power of social networking need only examine the increasingly positive results of successful social media strategies, such as the one JC Penney is currently utilizing. Entrepreneurs ready for a little social networking wonder will find Arnold IT can help them to evaluate their needs and design a tactical strategy customized to feed those needs and generate the desired response. JC Penney’s social campaign has them rising like a phoenix, so just imagine what a good plan can do without prior public relation damage.

Tess Arnold, May 23, 2013

If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.

Make Sure Your Social Media Strategy Leads Your Business in the Right Direction

May 22nd, 2013 | Posted by admin in News | social media | Strategy - (0 Comments)

The Chilean government initiated a social media revolution back in 2010 by encouraging citizens and officials to take to the web and communicate. Professor Eduardo Arriagada’s blog “Chile’s Social Media Strategy: Hitting the Right Buttons” reviews how the eGovernment was born and why, though in Beta, it is still continuing to thrive.

The Chilean eGovernment uses a social media strategy, which the Professor briefly explained:

“*Social media are a key component in the government’s e-government strategy 2011-2014. The three pillars of the strategy are “open government”, “government close to its constituents”, and “efficient government”.

*The government’s digital guide is an exhaustive source of strategic and technical assistance relating to the use of new technologies. Use and utility of social media constitute are part of the publicly available guide that also covers questions about the preconditions, capacity and skills necessary to make the best use of social media in government.”

Social media expert Tess Arnold stated:

“The Chilean eGovernment is a great example of what a well thought out social media strategy can become. The representatives take feedback from the site into consideration when implementing new actions. Those citizens who interact can then see their suggestions come into play, thus encouraging more interaction.”

Putting the options of social media into a clear, organized strategy can be a challenge and the Chilean eGovernment seems to have developed a master plan. The social media experts at Arnold IT can help business owners design their own master plan by putting social networking options into a strategic context, customized towards their company’s specific product or service. Entrepreneurs can take charge and lead the way to their own networking revolution whenever their ready… but, they might want to make sure the strategy will lead in the right direction.

Jennifer Shockley, May 22, 2013

If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.

A Social Media Strategy Determines Rather a Business Will Drift Sink or Swim Towards Success

May 22nd, 2013 | Posted by admin in marketing | social media | Strategy - (0 Comments)

When it comes to business, social media is not just about the latest deal or an upcoming sale and some entrepreneurs are still struggling with that concept. The Shopper Discount Rewards article “Shopper Discounts and Rewards: Implementing an Effective Social Media Strategy” touches on the importance of a social media strategy that focuses on not only getting the attention of a targeted audience but also providing that consumer base with interesting, yet relevant content.

The article stated:

“Social media needs to be a part of all business and communications strategies. Where possible, it should be considered a division in its own right, just like PR, advertising and events. A number of online retailers are still using social media solely as an advertising platform. It could be argued that instead, they need to make sure that content is offering added value to the audience. The greater the value added, the more willing the users will be to engage in a two-way conversation with the retailer.”

The overwhelming popularity of social media as a marketing platform has made it mandatory that businesses put effort into creating a content rich strategy just to stay afloat in an industry, much less succeed. Entrepreneurs ready to swim in the seas of social networking success will find the experts of Arnold IT can design an integrated social media strategy that emphasizes content with value. Businesses that utilize a customized strategy like this reach their targeted goals, while companies relying on a randomized approach simply drift or completely sink.

Jennifer Shockley, May 22, 2013

If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.

Interactive Social Media Strategy Apps Cannot Succeed Without Human Socialization

May 21st, 2013 | Posted by admin in marketing | social media | Strategy - (0 Comments)

Since social media exploded on the scene there has been a barrage of fly by night social networks, software and articles offering the ‘how to’ for networking novices. Thus, it comes as no surprise when the Content Marketing Experience article “Content Marketing Case: the Vocus Social Media Strategy Tool” announced a new interactive social media strategy application deemed Vocus.

The article provided seven reasons Vocus will succeed:

*Control is put in the hands of those who interact: you.

*It provides an answer to questions many businesses have when it comes down to social media marketing.

*There is a social and ‘group’ dimension since you are benchmarking your strategy with that of others who are actually using the tool. That’s strong.

*It’s highly relevant and provides information and value.

*It’s easy and very intuitive; it doesn’t take too much time and is even fun to do.

*Even if you don’t have the time, you can download the content.

* It’s quite innovative.

Social media expert Tess Arnold stated:

“Vocus is impressive but it is just another social media tool that requires human interaction to function. Entrepreneurs mustn’t be fooled by programs claiming to manage social media with little or no human intervention, as ultimately that type of interaction is required to achieve success. Otherwise, the profile just becomes another bot.”

Vocus is being promoted as requiring very little maintenance but the entire purpose of social networking is social interaction. Socialization must be a part of a social media strategy in order to generate quality content for a targeted audience and despite its many tools; Vocus cannot replace the human touch. Entrepreneurs will find a more human touch in designing a social networking strategy with the experts at Arnold IT. Their team of professionals will focus on creating a campaign that compliments services or overall operations to achieve both short and long term company goals without downloading a new app.

Jennifer Shockley, May 21, 2013

If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.

Successful Social Media Strategies Revisit Content Analytics Often

May 21st, 2013 | Posted by admin in Entrepreneur | social media | Strategy - (0 Comments)

Discovering the secrets of social media success is a constant evolutionary process. Entrepreneurs must determine their targeted audience and then provide a consistent flow of interesting yet relevant content in order to maintain the attentions of those consumers. The Marketing Land article “How to Organize a Social Media Content Strategy” emphasizes the importance of not only focusing on content itself but also on the specific analytic results of that content.

The article explained:

“Social media content teams should take advantage of data and metrics to better optimize what they are posting. Facebook Link shorteners provide click and sharing metrics, while Google Analytics’ social media reports can give goal-oriented data to see how many social media referrals completed conversions and the most popular content that was accessed. Social media content strategy is more than posting content online and hoping for the best. By implementing a clear, concise strategy, companies will find better engagement and brand recognition than others who don’t have a plan in place.”

Social media expert Tess Arnold agreed:

“Wise entrepreneurs will not only study their content prior to publication but also afterwards to evaluate the accuracy of their initial reaction projections. Documented results can greatly aid a businesses social networking efforts if reviewed and integrated into future content strategies.”

Business owners seeking quick social media answers will find the web overflowing with simple suggestions and ‘guaranteed’ steps for success that might actually lead to failure. Why? Most articles do not differentiate between individual company needs when handing out advice, unlike the social media professionals at Arnold IT. Their expert team evaluates each company on an individual basis and then designs a customized social networking strategy including content analytics, based on the overall operational needs of the business.

Jennifer Shockley, May 21, 2013

If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.

Get One Step Closer to Reaching Company Goals Using Quality Content Marketing

May 20th, 2013 | Posted by admin in marketing | social media | Strategy - (0 Comments)

Content marketing can reap serious benefits if implemented into a well-planned social networking strategy but entrepreneurs must know their targeted audience and gain their attentions. After businesses receive the desired attention; networking routines may become more tedious as the audience must be consistently maintained. The Business 2 Community article “Six Golden Social Media Rules for Content Marketing” reviews a few of the basic steps necessary for content management to achieve social media success.

The article stated:

“Statistics show that social media sites are one of the best ways to reach audiences and attract interest from the public sphere. For example, it was revealed this month that Brits spend an incredible 28 million hours on Twitter every day. Taking this into account, it is important that content marketers know the correct way to go about publishing their content on social media sites.”

A confined study can get statistics to prove almost anything once… but social media content study results are proving sound strategies bring beneficial results repeatedly. Content management will either make or break a campaign, so it is important to get it right the first time. Entrepreneurs who consult social media experts like those at Arnold IT will learn how to evaluate their operational needs and implement quality social media content that compliments company renowned. It doesn’t take a study to recognize that quality content integrated into an active networking campaign brings entrepreneurs one step closer to reaching company goals.

Jennifer Shockley, May 20, 2013

If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.

Passing Trends Hide among Social Networkings Consistent Flow of Marketing Tools and Opportunities

May 20th, 2013 | Posted by admin in marketing | social media | Strategy - (0 Comments)

There is a new app coming to town and this one claims to deliver the latest news being ‘Tweeted’ about a company, product or service directly to their personal inbox. The Write On Track article “Increase Your Social Media Marketing Reach With Twilert” explains entrepreneurs just have to digitally sign on the dotted line and provide their information and Twilert does the rest.

The article explained:

“Enter the details which will best maximize Twilert’s functionality for your specific marketing purposes. Twilert will send regular email updates of tweets containing your brand name, your product name and any other keywords you sign up for. It is an effective way to monitor who is talking about you and your brand on Twitter and to increase your social media marketing reach. As an added bonus in the advanced settings, you can select the local area you would like to monitor too.”

I recently stated:

“Twilert is currently in the Beta stage and won’t actually be released until sometime in June according to their Twitter. Twilert is a great concept, but entrepreneurs should consider this new app as more a complimentary tool, as it is still unproven in the business world.”

Social networking offers a consistent flow of new marketing tools and opportunities but many are just passing trends. The hot apps of today are not necessarily the favored apps of tomorrow and business owners may find making the best choices to be challenging. Consulting experts like those at Arnold IT can help entrepreneurs through the social media process from starting strategy design to the successful obtainment of short term and long term goals.

Tess Arnold, May 20, 2013

If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.

Optimized Content will Keep Entrepreneurs Inspired

May 20th, 2013 | Posted by admin in Entrepreneur | marketing | social media - (0 Comments)

Inspirational quotes have been encouraging people to succeed in business, sports and school for centuries and now the evolution of social media is introducing a new category… motivating social networking quotes. The Fueling New Business article “28 Stimulating Digital and Social Media Marketing Quotes” gives novice and professional social engineers a collection of motivational phrases to inspire success within a multitude of social media possibilities.

Michael Gass, a new business consultant for advertising agencies stated:

“Social media is a savior not a nemesis, an asset not a liability, a time saver not a time killer for ad agency new business”.

This could not be truer for entrepreneurs who have set realistic goals and put time into generating a social networking strategy complete with realistic expectations. Social networking can be a nemesis if companies dive in without evaluating their own operational and security needs.

Duane Forrester, author and conference speaker explained:

“SEO is a marketing function for sure, but it needs to be baked into a product, not slapped on like icing after the cake is baked.”

Jon Buscall made an exceptional point:

“Content marketing is a commitment, not a campaign.”

Search marketing guru Li Evans wisely states:

“Content Doesn’t Win. Optimized Content Wins”

The last three quotes emphasized the importance of quality content and once again, utilizing a well-planned strategy to optimize content and achieve the targeted goals. Entrepreneurs needing inspiration will find the experts at Arnold IT can design a customized plan tailored to company needs and implement semantic technologies to achieve optimal success. That’s inspirational!

Jennifer Shockley, May 20, 2013

If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.