How to: Select a channel

Figuring out the hows of social media shouldn't be complicated. These are just a few guides to build a social media strategy piece by piece.

Wouldn't it be great if you could answer 5-10 questions about your social media goals, your staff time and your audiences and poof - get set up on the social media channels that will be perfect for your organization?

Yeah, me too.

Unfortunately for all of us - there's no secret formula. What works for you doesn't always work for me. But there are a few things you can do to make the channel selection process less painful than a year of A/B email testing.

5-10 questions that may help you find your own secret formula:

Click to read more ...

How to: Newsjack

Figuring out the hows of social media shouldn't be complicated. These are just a few guides to build a social media strategy piece by piece.

First of all, is ‘newsjack’ a legit real word? I guess it has to be if there is already a book about it. I’m not typically a fan of figuring out a way to slip your fundraising or marketing messaging into a trending topic or current theme – but there are definitely times every organization should try to jump into the current events news game.  Newsjacking is like being able to double dutch jump rope – once you get the timing right and know how to do it, it gets easier and easier to handle.

According to Newsjacking: How to Inject your Ideas into a Breaking News Story and Generate Tons of Media Coverage, “newsjacking” is the process by which you inject your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real time, in order to generate media coverage for yourself or your business.

So how do you know when to “newsjack”? Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Click to read more ...

HOW TO: GET MORE FOLLOWERS

Figuring out the hows of social media shouldn't be complicated. These are just a few guides to build a social media strategy piece by piece.

So you are on social media. You’ve got a twitter account. You’ve got a Facebook page for your business. Now what? Charlie Sheen amassed over a million followers virtually overnight. The Vatican has over 6 million views on YouTube. Justin Beiber has over 17 million followers on Twitter. Why hasn’t everyone realized how awesome you are and begun following you as well?

Here are 5 steps to get more followers.

Click to read more ...

How to: Create an Editorial Calendar

Figuring out the hows of social media shouldn't be complicated. These are just a few guides to build a social media strategy piece by piece. 

Having a physical calendar gives you a visual of where you want to go and the tactics you will use to get you there. Calendars serve as a reference point for making social media not seem overwhelming, while letting you join more conversations. You don’t want to seem all over the place nor do you want to post a lot of content on the days you have time to focus on social media only to drop off.

You must have a dedicated calendar for social media if you want to run a successful social media campaign.

Click to read more ...