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Treat Social Media Like The Dating Game

February 13th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in how to | News - (0 Comments)

How should companies interact with employees and customers when considering how to use social media? Gary Koelling, senior social technology manager for Best Buy, suggests treating it like a first date. “Ask yourself, ‘What kind of relationship do I (not We) want to have? . . .  If it’s a purely transactional relationship that’s fine. If it’s something else, try to plot it on a line of intimacy somewhere between ‘Someone I see a couple days a week in the elevator’ and ‘Soul mate.’ Hopefully, for their sake, it’s somewhere in the middle.” In his response on The Online Marketing Blog, Koelling adds, “Then practice. Keep it small. Say hi. Get to know each other. Try things. Learn. If a jaded old ad guy like me can figure it out, the rest of you should be fine.” In other words, keep it simple, listen and use common sense.

John Sniffen, Feb. 13, 2010

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Marketing and PR Principles Still Apply to Social Media

February 10th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in how to | marketing | networking | News - (0 Comments)

While it seems the publicity game is changing rapidly with the popularity of Facebook, Twitter and the like, marketers and public relations practitioners are encouraged to hold onto their core values. This article showcases four things to keep in mind as you dive into social media, ranging from the importance of research and transparency, to ethical responsibilities and even the importance of video. One interesting thing, however, is that these are strong principles for everyone utilizing social media. Whether you are a marketing exec or a job hunter utilizing social networking, these are perfect insights for looking good online.

Patrick Roland, Feb. 10, 2010

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Video Blogger Millionaire Urges Creativity in Using Social Media

February 8th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in how to | News | prospecting | Twitter - (6 Comments)

While many businesses are aware of the potential advantages in using social media, they often “do it wrong” since Gary Vaynerchuck, the man behind Wine Library TV – winelibrary.com’s online video portal. In this reprinted Tampa Tribune article, Vaynerchuck gives some solid advice for reaching customers: “Businesses worry too much about what they’re going to say instead of listening” and “Storytelling is the No. 1 thing businesses should do for themselves and their products.” A quick look at Wine Library TV verifies this – current videos feature Gary sampling and discussing wines with a vast comment section and various “follow me” links (Twitter, Tumblr, etc.) on the side. Vaynerchuck urges for simple but informative content, followed by a lengthy interaction with the viewers. Use these interactions to grab the customers on an emotional level, realizing a simple “@ reply” on Twitter is the basically the new form of customer service. This technique can be used by individuals and corporations alike.

Sam Hartman, Feb. 8, 2010

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Social Media SEO Still Needs Good Content

February 4th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in blog | how to | News - (0 Comments)

The key words in globeinvestor.com’s latest article, “Social Media’s Instant Impact on Search is Focus of Moosylvania’s XL Marketing Trends Report”, are when combined with great content. – See article at http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/story/BWIRE.20100119.20100119005961/GIStory/ — The author discusses the results of the fourth installment of Moosylvania’s six-chapter study highlighting the positive results of Organic SEO including a boost to rankings. In what can be a very mysterious world of search engine rankings and optimization, there are techniques and tips everywhere to help you appear on the coveted first page of search engine results, whether it be your web site, blog, Facebook, or another social page. Some are helpful and this article highlights the promising potential of this particular one, but never forget that great content is still needed to maintain what a tool can help you achieve.

Melody K. Smith, Feb. 4, 2010

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