Getting your message heard bonnie zink
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"The WHO, the WHAT, and the WHY of Social Media: Getting your message heard," was delivered via webinar in partnership with The Thoracic Network of Alberta & NWT on September 21, 2012. The presentation recording is available here: http://login.icohere.com/ablung?pnum=RGS32519 Please contact Bonnie Zink at bonnie@bonniezink.com with your questions.
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Getting your message heard bonnie zink
- 1. Getting your message heard in an increasingly networked world by Bonnie Zink
- 2. Is your message being heard?
- 3. A few facts
- 4. … enter social media
- 5. Cutting through the noise in an increasingly networked world
- 6. Understand how social media will help you strategically create, collaborate, and connect to get your message heard http://bonniezink.com
- 7. What works 1.Where you start for you? 2.Which tools are right for you 3.How to use those tools effectively
- 8. Where do I start? 1. Understanding your organizations’ social media policy 2. Knowing that if you create it, people will share it 3. Defining your goals and building a strategy
- 9. Understand your organizations' social media policy (ambassador)
- 10. If you create it, people will share it
- 11. Define your strategy and goals
- 12. Which tool do I use? 1.Twitter 2.Facebook 3.LinkedIn
- 13. Twitter
- 14. Facebook
- 15. LinkedIn
- 16. How do I use the tools? 1. Creating your profile 2. Finding your friends and followers 3. Some of my favourite tips and techniques
- 17. Sign up (profile) 1. Be sure to create profiles that are consistent across all platforms 2. Be sure to add a photo of yourself – an innocuous default egg or head just doesn’t cut it. People want to know you! 3. Twitter allows for a short bio that is 160 characters long. 4. Facebook gives you more space and even helps you build a life timeline 5. LinkedIn, as we’ve already said, helps you create a complete online profile of your accomplishments
- 18. Find who you already know
- 20. What will social media do for you? 1. What do I say? 2. How do I incorporate it into my existing communications strategy? 3. Who do I connect with now?
- 21. Create: What do I say and where do I say it? 1. Message: Strategy guides the conversation 2. Tailor the message to the audience 3. Create quality content and make it sharable
- 23. Tailor the message to the audience
- 24. Create quality content and make it sharable
- 25. Collaborate: Working with my existing 1. Clarify objectives and communication align your message 2. Social media is not one- strategy size-fits 3. Remember, organizations don’t tweet – people do
- 26. Clarify objectives and align your message
- 27. Social media is not one-size-fits all
- 28. Remember: "Organizations don't tweet, people do." Euan Semple “You have to trust the users to make the best use of it. Sometimes it’s a bit like letting children fall so that they realise themselves that it hurts.”
- 29. Connect: Building my network 1. Is it enough to connect online 2. Make people know you 3. Principles to remember
- 30. Is it enough to connect online?
- 31. Make people know you!
- 33. How do I know what works? 1.Why do I monitor? 2.What do I monitor? 3.How do I monitor?
- 34. Why do I monitor? 1. The basics of monitoring 2. Aligning what you monitor with your goals and strategy - SMART 3. A place to start - Benchmarks
- 35. The basics of monitoring
- 36. Align what you monitor with your goals and strategy - SMART
- 37. A place to start - benchmarks
- 38. What do I monitor? 1. Awareness, attention, and reach 2. It is not always about the numbers 3. Other metrics to pay attention to
- 39. Awareness, attention, and reach
- 40. It’s not always about the numbers
- 41. Other metrics to pay attention too
- 42. How do I monitor? 1. Hootsuite 2. SocialBro 3. Wrap it all up
- 43. HootSuite Sign up for your own free HootSuite account: http://hootsuite.com/p_9363 Upgrade to a Pro HootSuite account: http://hootsuite.com/p_9363/pro ?d=upgrade Join HootSuite University: http://hootsuite.com/p_9363/6yd lin?d=hsu
- 44. SocialBro
- 45. Wrap it all up
- 46. Questions? Bonnie Zink Knowledge Mobilization Professional Social Media Strategist Web: http://bonniezink.com Email: bonnie@bonniezink.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bonniezink Facebook: http://facebook.com/BZWriter LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bonniezink
Editor's Notes
- Traditional communication strategies and methods have served you well until now, but we live in an increasingly networked world that calls for new ways of communicating what we want that world to know. It used to be that we created a message and we pushed it out through the mail, over the fax line, condensed it into posters, or translated it into print ads. These tools were effective in their day; but, a new day is upon us. We no longer push out information. We now enter into a dialogue between us and our audiences. Through social media, our audiences can now talk back and that is a fabulous thing!Acknowledging this two-way, interactive style of communicating is the first step towards creating a truly integrated strategy that will help you get your message heard.Your message may not have changed, but the way you communicate it certainly has. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, blogs, social bookmarking services like delicious, and a host of other tools will not be disappearing any time soon. They are helping professionals like you strategically create, collaborate, and connect across geographic and institutional barriers. Social media is no longer the new kid on the block, it is a major player and has a central role in the way professionals, nonprofit organizations, and even businesses get their message out there!
- You are here to learn the basics of social media and how to put these tools to work for you. Let’s start our journey with a few facts:Did you know that there are over 955 million users, more than 42 million pages; and over 9 million apps on Facebook? Did you know that there are over 140 million people connecting on Twitter?Did you know that LinkedIn has transformed human resource practices across the globe with over 175 million professionals and companies sharing their experiences every day?These are only a few of the tools that we use to communicate messages in today’s networked world. Before we get into the specifics about the tools of social media, let’s figure out what social media is.Source: http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/resource-how-many-people-use-the-top-social-media/
- So, what is social media exactly? Social media is the catch-all term for online activities that engage or encourage engagement through online discussions and interactions. The internet has become increasingly about active engagement and interactions. Whether through blogs, microblogs, listservs, chat rooms, forums, multimedia posting, file sharing services, photo-sharing services, content sharing mechanisms or social networking, social media is a central activity in strategic communications.This includes everything from forums to Facebook, Quora to Ebay, Tumblr to Redditt, Flickr to YouTube, and a host of others. There are countless ways to share content, connect with like-minded groups and individuals, and collaborate across geographical and institutional boundaries.In this hour we will concentrate on the two most popular platforms: Twitter and FaceBook – with a little bit about LinkedIn - and how these tools can help you get your message out there.
- The process of getting your message heard in an increasingly networked world can often overwhelm. We seem small and innocuous among the millions of people creating content, connecting, and collaborating across the web. It seems that our message has a big chance of getting lost among the noise. I’ve struggled with these thoughts and expect you might be thinking something similar.So, why bother? Social media helps us remove the barriers and artificial boundaries that often keep us from the knowledge we need. It turns oceans into easily spannable creeks. It turns mountains into mole hills that we can step across. It brings us closer together paying no mind to barriers, geographic or otherwise. When we remove boundaries, we enable innovation. Innovation is not so much about having ideas as it is about making connections. Social media is brilliant at helping you make the connections that matter, which give rise to innovative ideas with the power to change the way you work.
- Let’s talk about how social media can help you do this:What does Social media do?It helps you save time when you are searching for informationIt provides you with better access to informationAllows for fewer emailsHelps you connect across the miles and cuts down on travelIt really is all about telling a story and collaborating with your peers, communicating your story, and connecting with your audience.For me, the value of social media lies in the fact that it:Offers opportunities for greater collaborationEnables swifter product/information creationExpands and enhances the working environmentAllows us to share our vision, ideas, and begin the conversation, which ultimately leads to innovation
- Now, let’s explore some of the social media tools that have helped me help my clients promote their ideas and connect with their clients and audiences.I’ve already mentioned some of the more popular platforms available to you. Others to consider are: Microblogs (Twitter)PodcastsVideo (YouTube)RSS, bookmarks etc (Google Reader)Blogging Wikis (Wikipedia)Social Networks (FaceBook)Discussion Forums (Ravelry)And more…Let’s discover:Where you startWhich tools are right for youHow to use those tools effectively
- We’ve all heard the horror stories about being fired for something posted on Facebook or being taken to task for that controversial commented tweeted during a moment of discontent. The consequences of what we say and where we say it can be real and extreme. It is important to take a moment to think things through before jumping in.Start your social media experience by:Understanding your organizations’ social media policyKnowing that if you create it, people will share itDefining your goals and building a strategy
- Each social media platform allows space for you to tell the world a little about yourself, what you do for a living, and what interests you. Most of us associate ourselves with our professions and proudly display our accomplishments and where we work. It is important to remember that whenever you associate yourself with your employing organization you are acting as an ambassador of that organization – both online and off. Most organizations have policies in place to help guide your actions online, even when you are not directly communicating on their behalf. Social media policies:Provide guidance that helps shape your conversationsMost policies outline what is acceptable and not acceptableNearly all policies will explicitly state the consequences for inappropriate activitiesNow is the time to get to know your organizations’ social media policy.
- This is the most important tip I can share with you today. Always remember to conduct yourself online just as you would in person. Be open, courteous, honest, approachable, and have fun!Some things to consider when interacting online are:There’s no one size fits all – tailor your messages to your audienceClarify objectives and align – be consistent across all platformsDesign strategies – build a plan to help get you where you want to goImplement the plan – put the plan into the actionMeasure the impact of your efforts – measure those actionsLeverage learning – learn from mistakes and repeat your successes (yours and others)Be dogged and repeat, repeat, repeat your message – just like a town squireMake it fun and be social – act like you would in a room of your colleagues. On social media channels the room just got whole lot bigger!Be patient – relationships take timeBe tenacious and always be curious - engageBe true to yourself and your message – online and off
- Now that you understand what social media is, it is time to consider your strategy and define your goals. While doing so, think about:What do you want to accomplish?Who do you want to connect with?Where do you want to be?The first step to developing any plan is to define your objectives. Clear objectives will help you put your plan into action and stay true to your goals. What is it that you want to achieve?Do you want to improve public access to your organization? Social media can do that.Do you want to increase subscriptions to your e-publications? Social media can accomplish this.Do you want to mobilize your community or raise money? Social media can definitely help you here.Are you building community and advocacy? Then social media is the right tool to help you do that too!Defining your objectives first will help you in deciding which social media to use, the type of content that needs to be developed, and the resources to allocate.
- I’m sure you’ve got the idea by now: that social media is a very large toolbox with many tools. So, which tool works for you?Let’s focus our conversation on two of the most popular tools: Twitter and FaceBook – with a little about LinkedIn. These tools are powerful and allow for:Personalization – content tailored to individual needsPresentation – timely and relevant content accessible in multiple formats and contextsParticipation – partners and the public who contribute quality content in meaningful ways that leads to engagement, viral sharing of information, and trustThe power of networking is brilliant at helping you get to where you want to be.Source: http://www.fine.pt/files/The_6_Ps_of_Social_Media.pdf
- Twitter is an online microblogging and social networking platform that provides real-time information, commentary, and descriptions of events. Users, (I like to call them Tweoples) send updates, or tweets, that are 140 characters or less in length that display on their profile and in their followers’ feeds. Many share links to other information (articles, events, videos, pictures) into the Twitterverse.Twitter is a great tool for monitoring conversations on any given topic as users can insert hashtags (#) that allow for Twitter to categorize the tweet by topic. Think of Twitter as a great big filing cabinet. Your Tweets are the information that you’d like to file in that cabnet. Hashtags are the folders that your information is filed under. They allow for users to quickly follow any topic that has a hashtag. Twitter isn’t just about broadcasting information; it also provides opportunities to listen and gather information. Twitter’s search engine (http://search.twitter.com) is a great tool for monitoring conversations on any given topic. You can key into your interests and join any conversation.Professionals gather around what interests them and this gave rise to the Tweetchat. Tweetchats are real-time virtual get-togethers, and are often scheduled on a regular repeating basis. During a tweetchat, participants use the hashtag to join the conversation. You can listen in on a tweetchat simply by following its hashtag at the scheduled time.Some tweetchats are informal conversations, maybe with a selected topic; others are structured by a host who asks questions to which guests and participants respond, using the convention of Q1, Q2, and A1, A2 etc. After the chat, hosts or participants may republish a transcript of the chat that you can keep for reference or share. Tweetchats allow you to connect with professionals interested in the same things you are. They are a great way to grow your following and make new connections.
- Facebook is a social networking site. Users spend almost an hour a day on the site sharing and engaging with their networks. Facebook is made up of communities where people can interact with family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and others with similar interests. Facebook allows you to chat, email, video and voice chat, share files, blog, and join discussion groups. Facebook is best at:Boosting an organization's visibilityDriving traffic to your websiteEncouraging fund raisingPromoting eventsMobilizing and coordinating people Promoting a cause or ideaBuilding communityFacebook has added a career networking tool called BranchOutthat allows users to interact with other professionals. It helps you expand your career network to include absolutely everyone you know on Facebook. It is Facebook’s answer to LinkedIn.
- Speaking of LinkedIn… It is the most popular professional networking community available today. It has literally transformed the way we recruit and hire professionals in today’s networked world. Your LinkedIn profile is your online CV. In fact, you can upload your current CV or resume as it is and LinkedIn will populate the fields of your profile for you. You can link to your work on other websites, your current and past employers, and other professionals you know or wish to know. It is a very important tool for managers and employment seekers alike.LinkedIn allows employers to research a prospect’s background, helps employees decide where to work, and connects you with professionals in any given field. Its onboard, powerful search feature helps you to find who you are looking for in seconds. Not looking to hire anyone or to change jobs? LinkedIn still provides you with a valuable way to build expertise. LinkedIn users come together over topics and form groups. You can join a group and begin sharing resources and answer questions. The more involved you get, the higher you profile ranks, and the more people will begin to see what you know in action.
- Now that you know a little bit about social media tools, I expect you are wondering how to use them. Let’s review a few of the basics like:Creating your profileFinding your friends and followersSome of my favourite tips and techniques
- Each social media platform asks you to create a personalized profile that announces who you are, what you do, and what your interests are. Your short bios should be thought out and considered carefully. They really are your one and only chance at a first impression.Some things to keep in mind while you write your short bio are:Be sure to create profiles that are consistent across all platformsBe sure to add a photo of yourself – an innocuous default egg or head just doesn’t cut it. People want to know you!Twitter allows for a short bio that is 160 characters longFacebook gives you more space and even helps you build a life timelineLinkedIn, as we’ve already said, helps you create a complete online profile of your accomplishments120 Social Media Profile Tips: This eBook will give you 120 social media profile concepts. You'll have all kinds of ideas for different information to add to your social networking web page profiles. The more personal and professional information you give your prospects the more likely they will become your friend or followers. This kind of information can boost you credibility, authority, expertise and create rapport and trust with your network. http://www.myshoppinggeniesystem.com/19-social-media-profile-tips-plr.html
- Starting your network can be a little daunting. Are you wondering who to add, why you add them, and, the ever important, HOW do you add them? First, let’s start with the WHO: I suggest you begin with who you already know. Most platforms allow you to upload your current email contacts right onto the site and will tell you who is already using that platform. Here’s how you do it:Importing contacts from your address bookExport your Outlook calendar in a format suggested by the social network (usually csv file)Upload it to the social network and let the magic happenMany connect directly to your Google, Hotmail, or provider email address booksOnce your contacts are uploaded and you begin to interact with them, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn will begin to suggest contacts for you. Before you click the connect button, think about who they are and the value they will bring to your network. Do they enhance your network and will they help you reach your goals?All three platforms allow you to categorize your contacts into groups and lists that allow you to connect with them on different levels. Start early and organize your contacts as you go. As your networks grow you’ll appreciate knowing where they fit into your plan by the way you categorize them.I create client, family, professional, acquaintance, and other lists based on interests and topics
- You now know about the tools and might even be ready to begin posting and joining the conversation. Here’s a few of my favourite tips: Social media isn’t for everyone – if it is not for you, that is okayCompanies don’t do it, people do – you may represent your organization, but your network wants to engage with a real person be realStay engaged: share your network’s posts and tweets; post quality and timely content; ask questions; share polls; and get involved in conversationsThese conversations are happening anyway join them!Know your tools and use them well – IT is the single biggest block to getting social media goingUse URL shortening services, such as http://tinyurl.com, to allow you to say more in the space allowed (remember Twitter is only 140 characters, including your name and your message)Allow everyone to talkKeep your content timely, short, simple, and valuableCreate the debate – start a conversationExperiment with your message and the tools
- Creating a Twitter handle and profile on Facebook is pretty straight forward and posting or tweeting updates not that complicated. But, understanding the power of these tools and what they can do for you deserves a little more explanation.At this point you might be wondering:What do I say?How do I incorporate it into my existing communications strategy?Who do I connect with now?
- It’s time to create some content. Think back to our discussion about developing your strategy and determining your goals. This is the plan. You are now ready to put that plan into action.Each of your platforms are made up of very different people who expect you to engage with them, talk about their interests, and share quality content in very different ways. This looks different on each platform. Social media isn’t a one-size-fits all and neither is your message.
- Developing a strategy and putting it into action is THE most important aspect of social media. Before typing even one character, return to your objectives. They will help you decide what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. Today’s savvy online user is inundated with information all the time, so make sure they find yours of value. Work with your organizations’ already existing communications strategy to build your social media component. It will tell you what the priorities are, provide you with guidance about what can and cannot be said, and even provide you with completing phrasing as to some of more common messages. It is in the beginning that you want to be clear about what you are trying achieve.
- Now that you understand where you want to go, it is time to implement your plan as you work to reach those goals.Create compelling content that engages, invites a conversation, and is well written. Remember there are no "take backs" on the internet. Once you post, it is out there forever. So, be sure it is appropriate and good. Be transparent, approachable, and freely share. Some things to consider when deciding what to post, tweet, or share are:Write about topics that matter to you and your audienceShare your expertise and be open to receiving new ideas and perspectivesEngage in conversations by commenting, retweeting, and replying to comments on your own social mediaOffer good advice and make an emotional connection.Teach them something newEntertain them
- Your content should be of high quality, easily shared, and engaging. It looks different on each platform:Twitter: Create short and simple content with links to interesting blogs, news articles, and content that you find valuableFacebook: You have more room to express yourself through polls, questions, pictures, and videoLinkedIn: This about sharing and engaging with professionals – there is no room to talk about your hobbies or lunch adventures hereTo help "get your message out there," don't forget to cross promote. When you update your website or post a new blog tell your followers and friends by tweeting a link or posting it to Facebook. When you engage with your friends on one platform, invite your friends from another to join the conversation.
- Remember social media is not an all or nothing game. It is meant to augment your current activities, not replace them. It adds new touch points that allow you to reach people you might not have otherwise.It is important to remember that social media, done well, strengthens the bond between you and your audience. It enhances your message. And it ought to work in tandem with your other efforts. Twitter does not replace the value of a phone call. Facebook does usurp the benefit of a well crafted email or mail out.So, be clear about what else is happening and experiment with various tools while you figure out what works for you.Can you use Twitter or Facebook to announce an event along with print ads?Can you start a blog that allows your audience to post their own thoughts and concerns and share it via Twitter and Facebook? Will your print campaign and email provide the web address to that blog?Can you receive feedback via LinkedIn to improve your practice, while you participate in other training or professional development opportunities?Did you create a poster that can be turned into a photo that can be easily shared online?
- Working with your existing communications strategy means collaborating with your team. Your new social media expertise will enhance any messaging that is already in place as it will help you reach new audiences, make new connections, and create relationships that matter. Some things to think about are:Be Prepared: Social media has its cost. Engaging in social media takes a significant investment of time on a daily basis to make it relevant to your target audience. Take into account the person or people who will be responsible for updating, posting, tweeting, and responding to inquiries and whether or not this is the best use of their time and talent. To achieve this may mean that it takes away from other activities that are important to the practice. Take the time to develop your skills so that you can promote the right message at the right time and to the right audience.Reputation and Perception: Think about what you post, before you post it. There are no take backs. Think about how your clients and colleagues will react to your social media presence. Does it change the way they view your capabilities or priorities? Avoid the temptation to follow: Just because everyone else is on the bandwagon, you should only join them if it aligns with your organizations’ goals. Does social media activity enhance those goals? Will social media activity help get your message out there in an appropriate and valuable way? Knowing what works best for your situation can take the guesswork out of promoting your message and improve your return on investment.Source:http://www.dentalaegis.com/cced/2011/04/clarify-your-online-marketing-objectives-before-seeking-social-media-status
- When you’re dealing with what goes on in the virtual world, all things are not created equal and just because one type of social media platform works for your colleague does not necessarily mean that it will work for you. How do yopu decide? It is simple: Research, plan, and strategize when, where, how, and who you are interacting with. This means working with your organization and colleagues to develop a comprehensive strategy that gets your message out there in the most appropriate and effective way possible.An important thing to remember here is that just because someone has a computer and knows what Facebook and Twitter are, doesn’t mean they can effectively communicate on your behalf. It is all about growing your presence online through posting relevant and interesting content and building relationships.In this world of ever-changing social media, it is important to remember that your success comes from recognizing what makes your networks different from one another. Truly understanding your audience, through analysis and evaluation, can help you to build the most effective social media strategy possible.
- Euan Semple wrote the book, “Organizations Don’t Tweet… People Do: A Manager’s Guide to the Social Web,” as a means to help us understand the web and how it really works. This is the book to read to truly understand how it all connects.The web is people, not machines, and we need to clearly understand this before we make our first Facebook post or Tweet. Semple cautions us to remember that “social tools are personal. They rely on individuals like you and me finding our voice. “In today’s increasingly networked world, the power is shifting. It is the individual who powers change, not an institution or corporation.”While you are developing your strategy, creating your short bios, and even crafting the perfect post or Tweet, always remember that you are having a conversation with another person. You are not innocuous and what you say can and will influence someone else. Conduct yourself with the same integrity online as you would in person. Source: http://www.euansemple.com/theobvious/
- "No matter how sophisticated technology gets, we're reminded daily that it's about people…” Biz Stone, Twitter co-founder and director of communicationsThe internet is about people, as Biz Stone wisely stated. The internet and technology are merely the tools that connect us all. When setting out to build your network remember that you are connecting with people. You will use the very same techniques online as you’ve used throughout your career. You’ve been successful at creating a network of colleagues already. You’ve met people in person. You’ve connected with professionals at conferences. Your colleagues have introduced you to professionals. This will not change. But, with social media, you are no longer bound by physical, geographic, and artificial boundaries.Let’s talk about: Is it enough to connect online?Make people know you!Principles to remember
- Euan Semple and Biz Stone have already shown us that the internet is indeed all about people. Social media is the means by which you can connect with those people. So how do we do this?As we’ve already talked about, it is a good idea to begin with who you already know. Uploading your address book is the easiest and most efficient way to find your friends and colleagues who are already using the platforms you choose. You’ve begun creating and posting interesting content to Facebook and Twitter, you are engaging with your networks, and you are making new connections. But is this enough? The true benefit of connecting online is that it often leads to in-person contact because people feel more comfortable initiating a meeting with someone they "know" electronically. It's especially important to seek and accept face-to-face meetings with newer contacts because technology can never match a human connection. In-person check-ins are useful for contacts you already know too, but given people's busy schedules, it is most pressing to push for personal meetings with contacts you haven't spent much time with outside of a group gathering. They may be lurking in your online networks. Get to know them online and off.
- It is not enough to be an expert on something if no one knows you well enough to think about calling you for advice. Creating an inviting image of yourself can generate professional opportunities that lead to success. Think about who you’ve connected with and why you’ve connected with them. Are they an expert in their field? Now, think about why that is. They most likely are open, share frequently, respond to questions immediately, and genuinely appear to be helpful. Sharing your knowledge online will help others connect with you. Show yourself as open and honest and always be approachable. Make the effort to reach out into your network and start a conversation with someone new. Reach beyond your network and begin conversations with someone completely new. By posting relevant articles, interesting comments, and valuable resources keeps you on other people’s minds and enables them to see how involved you are in your area or industry. This is an efficient way to continue a relationship and open the door to new relationships. You never know who is lurking behind that key board and reaching out can often be the beginning of your next great opportunity.The trick here is to know your audience and know them well. Know when they are most active online. Genuinely open two-way conversations. Just as it is important to make emails and phone feel personal, you must make your online outreach activities feel genuine.
- Principles to RememberDo:Be genuine to gain credibility and keep long-term relationsFeed the network (via Twitter, Facebook, emails, etc.) to pass on useful information and show you are engagedOffer to help using humor and tactReach out to a diverse group of people - Those who come from different fields, different socio-economic backgrounds, and different countries can offer creative solutions and contacts that a colleague in the neighboring cubicle cannotDon't:Focus on getting something from a new contact immediatelyHide behind technology and avoid face-to-face networkingForget to read your audience and provide a personal approach
- Now that you know which tools work for you and what social media can do for you, it is time to figure out the how of all this. Although I would like to think it is because of my webinar today, this is not the answer. The answer is: monitoring.For measurement to be effective, it has to align directly with the objectives you’ve set out in your strategy and goals. That’s right, you now return to your plan and determine what is important to you. This is what you will measure. There is no hard and fast rule to what you monitor, but we’ll talk about a few ways to make the process easier as we explore:Why do I monitor?What do I monitor? How do I monitor?
- Measurement is key to understanding what works and what doesn’t. Monitoring your activities will help you make decisions while you think through what you post, where you post it, and to whom you are posting it.Let’s begin with the:basics of monitoringAligning what you monitor with your goals and strategy - SMARTA place to start - Benchmarks
- You’ve been creating content, sharing with your colleagues, and building new relationships - while keeping in mind your strategic objectives - and working to reach the goals as outlined in your objectives. So, now what?Now we measure those activities. Social media monitoring is the process of measuring and analysing those activities. Monitoring what you say, where you say it, and the reaction to it will provide you with valuable insight into what is working and what isn’t. Monitoring is really made up of a few steps. You:Develop questions that the monitoring should answerSet goals to your social media monitoringDecide what platforms you will monitorDecide what type of content is monitored (original content or shared content)Decide who to monitor (your effectiveness, people in your networks)Analyze the results (insights and knowledge, patterns, trends)
- For measurement to be effective, it has to align directly with the measurable objectives you’ve set out in your strategy. Those objectives may follow the SMART methodology, first introduced by Peter Druker (http://www.druckerinstitute.com/link/about-peter-drucker/?utm_source=pdf&utm_medium=ebook&utm_campaign=EffectiveSocialMediaMeasurementApril2012ebook) in his 1954 book, The Practice of Management. The acronym stands for your goals being Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timed (http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Management-Peter-F-Drucker/dp/0887306136/?utm_source=pdf&utm_medium=ebook&utm_campaign=EffectiveSocialMediaMeasurementApril2012ebook): Specific: Describe your objectives specific to the results you want. Go deeper than “increase awareness about topic x” to “increase awareness by 10% in the next six months via a targeted social media campaign.” Measurable: You want to use these metrics in the review process to see if you were effective. Having a specific objective will clearly show whether results were met. Achievable: Consider what’s feasible when setting your objectives. Realistic: Ensure you have the resources and tools in place to meet your objectives, or you’ll just frustrate yourself. Timed: Get specific with your objectives and incorporate a time frame. This makes them real and tangible and easier to reach.
- Benchmarking is a critical step in any program. It creates a starting point. Whether you are doing content analysis or surveys, you need to understand where the starting line is. Well researched benchmarks are key to any successful monitoring.With that in mind, what are some things you can benchmark when starting your social media campaign?Share of conversation – from an awareness standpoint, it is helpful to know who’s talking about what and where before you begin your promotion. Where conversations are happening – Before you launch headlong into Twitter, it would be helpful to know if your audience is actually there.Core messaging –it is helpful to know what people are saying in reference to you and your organization and what drives those conversationsWho is influential – Everyone, and every industry has their own definition on who is influential. Be sure to define, through listening or whatever other means, who is influential in your space before you get started.Search – If you didn’t know this already, search and social media are inextricably linked. There are plenty of free tools that will show you what people are searching for. What are the key terms people are using? What is on the first page of Google results? Web analytics – Similar to search, what shows up on your website is equally critical to what’s being said in social media. Know how many unique visitors you have, what the referring sites are, and the percentage of new vs. returning visitors.These are just six things that I would recommend you benchmark, but obviously you want to come up with researched benchmarks that make sense for you.
- The essence of monitoring is capturing accurate data and using it to tweak your tactics. There is no universal way to measure each initiative but there are several metrics that can be applied in certain situations. The how of monitoring is more or less fixed, but the elements or metrics, or the what of monitoring, is dependent on your processes and what you choose to track. That is time-consuming work, but it’s impossible to be serious about monitoring and bypass the work involved. Monitoring is a discipline and it takes a consistent investment in time and effort. You will want to pay attention to:Awareness, attention, and reachIt is not always about the numbersOther metrics to pay attention to
- Social media makes it easy for you to share what interests you and your network. How do you monitor the effectiveness of this activity? You key into awareness, attention, and reach. What do we track?Fans, followers, subscribers, and potential reach: Not every friend of follower will see each and every post you make, but you can determine the potential of your reach by using Facebook Insights, tracking your network’s online peak times, and by noticing how often the post or tweet is shared or commented on. This tells you whether your activity propels others into action and if your message is truly getting out there.The Value of a “like” or share: Each time you post to Facebook, your friends have the opportunity to like your post or and share it with their friends. This will tell you what content is most popular among your network. The more it is “liked” and shared, the more viral it becomes. This translates directly to the level of popularity. Retweetsand Favourites: On Twitter, each member of your Twitter following has the opportunity to ReTweet your tweets to their followers, favourite your tweet, and comment on your tweet. The more they do so, the higher your level of engagement is. Monitoring this activity will show you just how popular your content is.
- For our purposes, monitoring the number of followers, fans, or friends is not a good measure of success. Monitoring your engagement with these networks is. For instance, Jillian has 1000 followers, but they don’t share her content on a regular basis and rarely interact with her online. But, Peter has only 25 followers who ReTweet, share, or like what he posts on a daily basis. Peter’s engagement is higher than Jillian’s and his campaign would be considered much more successful in terms of meaningful engagement. Just because someone has a lot of friends or followers, that does not mean they can encourage those followers to actually do anything.How do we measure this? I use a very simple spreadsheet that helps me track the performance of content across a variety of platforms. Many social media management tools will do this for you, but developing your own tool can easily be done in Excel. It will look something like this (chart on slide). Klout is a tool that measures online influence. Although it is not infallible, it is a good guideline to help you determine a user’s potential influence. This is useful to decide who to reach out to when you’re preparing for a campaign. Source: http://marketingland.com/measuring-social-engagement-3-ways-to-identify-high-value-content-12352
- You really can measure anything you want. You are in the drivers’ seat. Some other helpful measures might be: Track how many people click through your linksTally the active fans – Who is engaging with you? Are they promoting your ideas? Do they talk about your interests? Do they interact with you more than once?Notice Exposure: track what is being said. Is it positive? Is it negative? What can you do to address it?Check Retention: How many times does your network engage with you? Are they returning to you for answers?Workflow: is the process of assigning, tracking and responding to social media, typically in a team environment. An effective workflow can prevent double responses and missed opportunities while ensuring that all your online responsibilities are met.Sentiment: Are the comments positive or negative?
- Only in recent years has social media really come into its own. Everyone from small business owners to researchers to individuals like you and me are using the tools and finding new applications for them every day. And, to find out if those applications are successful, we monitor their success. Monitoring takes time. Let me share with you a couple tools that help me monitor and manage my social media activities.Both Facebook and Twitter have analytical capabilities built right in, but we’ll turn our attention to some tools that will help you make sense of the numbers and provide you with value.
- HootSuite is a popular tool manages multiple accounts across Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, WordPress, Foursquare, GooglePlus, and LinkedIn – to name a few. Although HootSuite could be categorized as an account management tool rather than a monitoring tool, I believe it deserves mention here because of its large user base and powerful onboard analytics functionality. You can push updates to one or more profiles, track click-through, deploy timed updates, monitor your social media buzz across multiple web services, and assign tasks among team members based on roles. HootSuite apps for both iPhone and Android are available. Since the dashboard is web based, it is completely accessible at anytime and from anywhere.Hootsuite offers the ability to customize reports that will show you exactly what you need to know about monitoring your activities.Hootsuite offers free and paid accounts. To find out more and sign up, please visit: http://hootsuite.com/p_9363
- SocialBro is unlike any Twitter client currently on the market. It is a free service and provides you with detailed analysis of your Twitter community.At its core SocialBro is a tool for analyzing friends, followers, and Twitter activity. After synchronizing one or multiple Twitter accounts, SocialBro determine users in your community who might be influential, a little too noisy, inactive, famous, or potential spammers.What does SocialBro measure? Among other things, this powerful tool tells you:The best time to tweetWhat your community is interested inWhat language your followers tweet inCommunity reach and potential reachKlout scoresUnlike HootSuite, SocialBro is not a dashboard but a tool used to track your current Twitter followers and helping you to new news ones.
- As social media becomes more widely accepted as a productive tool necessary to the way we learn and work, individuals who already embrace the medium are becoming more adept at creating content and engaging with their audiences. The next step for those who are comfortable with the content side of things is the development of a strategy and tactics to monitor the performance of their social media activity.Now that you understand the importance of incorporating monitoring into your plan and you’ve collected all the data, what do you do with it?The most important steps in the monitoring process takes place AFTER you collect your data. The next steps are:Establishing effective ways to report social media performance data so that information is easy to digest, understand, and act upon.Building time to analyze social media measurement reports into your social media workflow.Using data to help inform decisions about social media activity in order to develop new program or improve existing efforts.Acting on insights in order to achieve business objectives.
- Hello everyone and welcome! I’m Bonnie Zink and I’m thrilled be spending the next hour with you talking social media and how to put it to work for you.As many of you already know, I’m obsessed with social media. I’m always giving the latest tools a try, connecting with my communities on my computer and smart phone, and reading up on the latest research. I put this knowledge into practice for my clients each and every day. I am a community-based knowledge mobilization professional, professional writer, and social media strategist as well as a community of practice facilitator.Recently,I realized that I’m sitting on a great resource list of tools and techniques that would really help people out. So, when Rena asked me to share my experiences with all of you, I put together this webinar - filled with my favourite tools, tips, and techniques that, I hope, will help you get your message heard. I really tried to edit the information down to the most valuable things I could share with you and, in exchange, I’d like to ask that you give me your undivided attention. Close your email and put your phone on vibrate because I don’t want you miss a thing. We’ll move fairly quickly through the next hour, so I don’t want you to be concentrating on something else and actually miss out on a golden nugget.So…are you ready? Then let us begin…