#ims418

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Social Popularity vs Social Influence

A 2010 study of Twitter influence by the HP Social Computing Lab  showed that the most famous people on Twitter like Martha Stewart and David Gregory were very popular but not very influential.  That is, what they communicated had very little influence on their follower’s actions.  If Martha Stewart says “orange is the new black” nobody goes out and buys orange. The foundational truth we’re not talking about in this discussion of digital influence is that popularity—even subject matter expert popularity—is not a proxy for influence.

As social media marketers, we must recognize the difference between social "popularity" and social "influence" We should strive to strategize our social engagement to build relationships with customers. Disregard Klout scores, because at the end of the day your FB page could have the most likes - but are you seeing a return on investment? 

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5 essential personal branding tips for Twitter

Your Avatar. (Twitter photo) Use photo of yourself, close up, so that people know who they are talking to and that you’re real. 

 Your Twitter bio. Describe what your expertise is clearly. Use relevant, keyword-rich words that people might use to search. If you optimize your bio, people will find you via Twitter searches. Also include #hashtags for the important keywords.

URLs. Promote your personal brand or find a job; include a URL — either your website, your blog, your public LinkedIn url, your portfolio website, etc. 

 Following people on Twitter Jeff Bullas: “Most newbies don’t understand that when you follow people, a certain percentage will follow you back. Now that percentage may be only 20% or it may be 50%, but once you have them following you on Twitter, your updates will now appear in their Twitter stream.”

Tweeting. Once people are following you on Twitter, you should start tweeting regularly. Not once a day or once a week; you need to be tweeting a minimum of 3-5 tweets a day at different times. 

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5 Elements to Have In Place Before a Crisis Hits

1.       Implement a social media monitoring dashboard. A listening system can help keep track of what is being said about your institution in the social media universe, alert you to issues you may not be aware of, and help you gauge public understanding and sentiment around an issue. 

2.       Develop a social media policy. There is a misunderstanding that a social media policy is a prohibitive document. The best social media policies operate as guide rails that empower people to use social media channels responsibly in a way that builds the organization’s brand. 

3.       Implement a social media management system (SMMS). Social media management systems should have multiple functions that can facilitate monitoring, publishing, lead and conversion tracking, measurement, customer relationship management, and more depending on what your institution’s social media strategy is. 

4.       Establish registration or affiliation of organizational social media accounts. Develop a training program or guidelines for anyone representing the organization in the social media space. Also, establish a database of account administrators and passwords held by a community manager. This allows you to remove old accounts, or post to any account in an emergency.

5.       Establish a community manager for your social media. This does not imply that one person should handle all the social media, but that there should be a centralized resource that acts as a hub to the department “spokes” so there is continuity in branding and messaging, especially in the event of a crisis. A community manager will keep communication channels open and discourage the building of communication silos within the organization.

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50% used their phone to "assist" while shopping instore  37% research product on phone before purchasing instore  IDEA: Offer free wi-fi inside your store & consider offering free apps that allow shoppers to price check, price compare, and read reviews.

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So How do you Become a Better Blogger?

It is quite simple really.

Blog late or early

Blog while travelling

Blog on holidays

Blog even when your friends think you’re mad

Blog on the bus

Blog on the plane

Blog when the boss isn’t watching

Blog when your partner nags you to stop blogging

Blog when your passion has taken a holiday

Blog when you think no one cares about your blog

Stephen King the world famous best selling author was asked “how do your become a better writer?” He answered that question in two ways. One word at a time and write 1,000 words every day.

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1. Google is someone's first impression of you. Most people won't look past the first page of search results. 

2. Linkedin ranks highest among all social media sites. Therefore, your LinkedIn will most likely be indexed on Google's first page results. In that case, keep your LinkedIn up to date! 

3. If you want to build a personal blog, use WordPress. Wordpress ranks highest among all blogs, including Tumblr and Blogger. 

4. Use BrandYourself to measure your brand SEO results in Google. 

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#Romnesia - Tweet of the Week

At a rally in Virginia on Friday, Obama used the term #Romnesia. The Obama campaign quickly promoted a tweet on the #Romnesia hashtag which helped propel the YouTube video of his speech to over 370,000 views. #Romnesia hashtag has been retweeted thousands of times. 

The message spread on Tumblr as well. The Obama campaign posted an excerpt of the speech and a series of animated GIFs portraying the speech on its Tumblr page. The GIFs have been liked or reposted onto  Tumblr users blogs over 16,000 times.

Nevertheless, we shall see how social media will influence the election in November. 

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3 Tips for Personal Branding on Tumblr

Quality > Quantity

First things first, find a topic & create an audience around the topic. 

Be consistent and recognizable. Determine and build a personal brand around your core strengths, skills and experience.

Recognize your niche. Because you are only ONE person, pick a sphere of influence and stick with it. 

Communicate your brand. Use Tumblr to begin blogging and building your personal brand. Determine where your target audience gets their information from and adjust accordingly. If your target audience has a passion for photos, invest in a Pinterest and Instagram account to share with your audience.