New social media networks, tools and strategies develop at breakneck speed in a seemingly endless stream of technology, interaction and innovation. It’s a lot to keep up with and even more to completely master. Along the way, mistakes have and will continue to happen. However, if you do things right and plan ahead for the worst, you may avoid some the most common and devastating “twit slips.” Read on, and learn how you can help save your business from these 7 big twitter fails.

how to avoid 7 deadly twitter sins

1. Too much of a good thing ultimately equates to nothing. Why is your birthday so much cooler than almost any other day? Well…it’s different. It comes only once a year, it means something when it does AND it’s just for you, not your family, friends or the world at large. Social media contests and giveaways work the same way. We’re not saying only run one tangible promotion a year, but conservatively analyze when and how often you run social media promotional contests. Offer a promotional contest every day, of every year, on your every social network and you run the risk of cheapening your brand and what it brings to the table.

2. Don’t forget Plan B. Campaigns don’t always go as planned. No matter how “brilliant” your idea, you must always have a protocol in place for and be ready to respond to the worst. Take note of this major fast food giant’s recent Twitter fail. The restaurant chain asked customers to share their franchise experiences using a specific hashtag and did not get the response they hoped for or anticipated. They quickly removed the hashtag push and instead focused upon a concurrent hashtag campaign to divert attention away from the negative comments as quickly and efficiently as possible.

3. Keep private information, un-posted information. 99% of the time, communicating about personal or sensitive matters should occur in person, over the phone or via a self-destructing voice-recording device. Whether you’re an expert secret service officer or a top social media guru, advise your charges against creating electronic records of potentially damaging information. For a great example of TMI gone totally viral, see one powerful politician’s major over-share in one of the biggest social media slip-ups of 2011.

4. It’s not all about you. Don’t get us wrong; your Twitter page IS about you and your business. But even more than that, it’s about your network and your impact upon them. Be active, follow people and @ mention others. These are great ways to get them to repay you in the same regard and continue building the klout of your social media presence.

5. Spam is gross. No one likes those random tweets like “Big Vegas gaming opportunities! Get started now,” or “Looking for a fun time? This girl is.” Whether or not you’re in either of these businesses, make spamming a cardinal sin in your social media policy. People go on Twitter to engage, learn and share, not receive unsolicited or irrelevant sales messages.

6. Be careful with third party post engines. Since social media’s explosion, third party post engines have debuted and then dominated the social media tool market. A host of multitasking, dashboard-creation tools have developed that allow users to quickly and easily post to multiple identities or networks all at once. However, take care, every product has its benefits and its downfalls. Last year, one big time automobile company learned the hard way about these products’ downfalls. One of their social media team employees mistakenly posted the f-bomb through the company’s feed rather than through the intended a personal one. These mistakes don’t go unnoticed and should not be taken lightly. However, with proper account maintenance, well-strategized post-loads and timely PR response strategies, dire consequences can be avoided.

7. You can’t say it, so spell it out – RIGHT. This may be something that seems pretty common sense, but always make sure to check your tweets for spelling errors prior to posting publicly. We all know there’s certain standby abbreviations and acronyms, but even with these, make sure you’re not typing “LO;” or you risk confusing your followers. Along the same token, pay close attention to following Twitter protocol when it comes to RTs, @ mentions and other key Twitter lingo.

prep your posse

Following these tips will help you avoid any major Twitter catastrophes, but for true social media success there’s no substitute for constant vigilance and fresh creative strategy. Don’t leave the health of your online brand to amateurs. To correctly maximize your presence online, partner with a forward thinking social media organization with the man power, connections, prowess and experience to take your business to the next level.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – When Girl Scout cookie sales began on January 1, 2012, esd & associates, San Antonio’s leading digital creative agency, purchased one large order – one thousand boxes of cookies to be exact. Not simply the pained victims of an epic sweet tooth, esd & associates purchased the cookies to help 14-year-old Girl Scout, Hannah Richmond kick-off her project to sell 10,000 boxes of the famous cookies. Richmond then plans to donate half of them to the local San Antonio United Service Organization (USO) chapters.

Richmond’s first helper, esd & associates, took notice of the scout’s endeavor when a cold call letter landed on the desk of agency owner Christine Kleha.

“I get so many letters a day,” said Kleha. “Hannah’s looked different and when I read her energetic pitch and learned she was only 14, I knew our marketing and public relations company had to get involved.”

Selling cookies has always been a trademark Girl Scout activity. Typically used to fund non-profit Girl Scout community activities like camps, field trips, education programs, travel opportunities, community service and leadership programs cookie sale proceeds form an invaluable part of the national organization’s funding. However, not all young ladies take the endeavor as seriously and act as passionately and charitably as Richmond.

“In Hannah’s case, this has turned her into a 14-year-old entrepreneur,” said Stephanie Finleon of the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas. “We are impressed with Hannah’s business sense and hope it becomes contagious.”

Indeed, young Richmond is one smart cookie. When she sets a goal there’s no looking back. In 2011, she earned the title of Top Cookie Entrepreneur Officer for the Southwest Texas Girl Scout Council for selling 3,258 boxes of Girl Scout cookies. This was hands down the largest cookie sale procured by one girl in the 21 counties that make up the area council.

“In 2012, I am using the business knowledge I gained selling cookies in the past to encourage San Antonio businesses to support the Girl Scout mission,” said Richmond.  “My goal is to sell more boxes of cookies than ever and make a difference for our U.S. troops.”

A great opportunity for Scout, country and local businesses alike, Richmond hopes to reach her goal before the springtime cookie selling cut off. This will require not only a great deal of hard work and dedication from Richmond, but also open and generous hearts from businesses possessing the funds to contribute and the desire to assist and improve quality of life for local military members and their families.

No stranger to non-profit endeavors, esd & associates was honored to be the first to join Richmond’s cause.

“We challenge other businesses to do join esd & associates and help this leader in the making,” said Kleha. “It’s a win-win situation, it’s for the Girl Scouts and our Troops. Our esd & associates team members know Hannah will reach her goal. Let’s help her get there.”

“I know that with the help of local businesses I can achieve my goal and make an impact upon our troops’ lives,” said Richmond.

Help 14-year-old Hannah reach her goal by becoming one of 9 needed corporate supporters and purchase 1,000 boxes of cookies today by calling Hannah at 210-348-8008.

new and improved

The new Twitter interface greets users immediately upon visiting the homepage. Currently only available on certain mobile devices, the new Twitter will soon become the only Twitter. The updated version of the conversation engine features Facebook-esque action tabs, each facilitating a different Tweet action and a new advantage for your organization’s evolving social media:

• Home – Now, images and videos are embedded content on Twitter. The old design displayed big visuals like this out to the side of the tweet interface in a rougher format. Now, users can see tweets from those they follow in one large, clear stream. The new layout also includes side areas that highlight popular trends, basic twitter info, Who To Follow suggestions and a tweet posting window. So what’s the big benefit this offers to your business? By streamlining the user experience, Twitter developers have made your content more visible, calling greater attention to your posted visuals in Tweet streams. Plan for your content to include photos and video whenever possible to pop out in Tweet streams ahead of regular user status’ and competitors’ more static messages.
• Connect – A new, sleak way to keep track of who’s connecting with your Twitterverse, the targeted Connect feed shows the individual user’s @ mentions, retweeted tweets and favorite-ed tweets. This is a great tool not only for average users, but even more particularly, for your organization’s social media brand manager. In the old days (i.e. a month ago) social media directors and staff had to sift through a myriad of different content to track all company name mentions and retweets. While this information was accessible, it was also scattered amongst hosts of other messaging, hash tags and linked content. The Connect interface pulls all your brands mentions and interactions together, facilitating social media content tracking for your organization’s interaction analytics.
• Discover – Using appropriate hashtags is more important than ever. The new Twitter Discover tab expands the power of the hashtag. The new tab brings content straight to users based on the hashtags they use most often. These recommendations pull tweet from tags a user may always use or from related tags that they have never thought to search before. Think it as an online shopping guide’s recommendation feature: “Shoppers who purchased this also viewed this.” The content in the Discover tab’s stream has also been programmed to match the user’s current location, adding a Foursquare-esque benefit to the feature. Discover provides users with the ability to discover unknown Twitter followings, receive recommendations on who to follow and explore a variety of particular interest topics. Use tags thoughtfully and you will gain followers with a genuine interest in what your brand has to say or offer.
• Me – The Me tab shows the user’s full Twitter profile information, with tabs to direct message other users or view their own specific tweeted commentary. This very specific direct message feature may assist your organization’s top thought leaders from making the occasional embarrassing over-share by mixing up Twitter’s public tweet and private direct message options. Although never fool proof, any measure to define the visibility differences of these two features proves a valuable crisis prevention feature for any public business venture.

more interactions, more money?

While the rules of content and conversation etiquette should still apply to your organization’s Twitter policy, the new Twitter has upped the ante for businesses, pushing the ease of potential engagement. The new and inviting format and functionality gives users new tools with which to play and explore the Twitterverse and with which to discover and develop loyalties to your brand. The beauty of the new Twitter is more than skin deep – in addition to the layout change, Twitter has introduced the notion of “sticky” tweets, an idea mirroring Facebook’s Top versus Recent posts feature.

These changes herald right now as the perfect time to re-evaluate your business’ presence on Twitter and across all relating social media channels. Does your Twitter page look match your Twitter social media voice and corporate brand? Does your content engage and inform or does it inexpertly advertise and sell? Do you have the staff, knowledge and training necessary to glean the greatest benefit from all available social networking avenues? Reach out to a social media expert to evaluate your page look, content and progress and revamp for a better, brighter and more social future.

Twitter’s evolving. So should you.

Every day thousands of engagement amateurs incorrectly use social network feeds as traditional advertising rather than instruments of conversation. This lacks creativity and wastes time, money and energy. Social media’s real time nature turns hefty when bogged down by adding content and updates better suited to an existing website or static information webpage.

a horse of a different color

Just as social media functions differently from traditional websites, its metrics for success differ as well. Analysts and marketers determine a web presence’s success by the volume of incoming web traffic, the total daily bounce rates, total amount of time users spend on the website and other raw data like this. When dealing with social media, success becomes a little more difficult to quantify and evaluate. A point-and-click page “Like” gives no real indicator of engagement. A user may “Like” your page because their friend or coworker asked them to, not because they truly have an interest in engaging with you and your page’s conversation or content. Sure, your page may have gained a follower, but has it gained a real fan that responds, shares and “Like”s posts regularly?

The post-F8 Facebook now separates popular content from more static items on user feed pages just as Facebook users have always mentally separated the pages they check daily from the pages they “Like” out of obligation or coercion. Take notice and begin evaluating your social media using metrics that really count.

what really matters

Now that social networking has become THE way to network, public relations image and planning leaders have created a demand for network analytics tools. Web developers have happily responded to their call.

There are lots of tools available now for Facebook, Twitter and more to help you determine fan network activity. However, of all the options out there, one’s star power exceeds the rest: Klout.

Klout stands out by giving users a snapshot number of their influence on fans or followers. This “Klout Score” simplifies how engagement can be quantified and gives users an easy to find and understand visible reading of real social media engagement and engagement growth from point A to point B. The Klout analysis engine determines Klout Scores by digitally evaluating:

• True Reach – Klout looks at all social networks of which you are a part and evaluates how many followers on those networks you actually reach. Active users are the ones who are not only real, but also have a real interest in your content. They interact with you, truly “Like” you and respond to your conversation prompts.
• Amplification – This factor measures the number of incidents or the frequency that those within your true reach act upon your content. When you post a funny video, do your followers share it, comment on it and “Like” it, magnifying your content’s visibility from their feeds to their friends’? If so, their activity will increase your amplification and Klout Score.
• Network – This quantifier uses a blend of the above two factors as they pertain to third party users. From these scores, Klout determines your third: the power of your overall social media network. If users who fall within your true reach come from actively amplified networks with several followers themselves, then your Klout Score benefits. For example, if you tweet out a message about a great new recipe you just created, would you rather be retweeted by Emeril or Jay’s Garden Tools? Getting your style of content retweeted by other social media heavy hitters within your same interest bracket takes your name and messaging further and supplies you with inherent credibility.

room for improvement

While Klout does have its flaws and the controversy to give these flaws clout of their own, for the moment at least, marketers have found that Klout’s benefits outweigh its pitfalls. In terms of advertising or PR tools, social media is still the new, mysterious, cool kid in school – analysts and advertisers are still trying to understand it enough to get an special seat at its lunch table.

Truly effective social media analyses use critical thinking and basic PR strategy in addition to tools like Klout. Active and vigilant network monitoring, sharing and strategizing will do wonders for your social media. Keeping the conversation fresh and interesting gives your presence real purpose and a great return on investment. Use the right tools, the right content and the right strategy and you will always have the big clout of a trusted industry e-voice.

Monday, November 7, 2011 the esd & associates office welcomed a very special new addition to the staff. Wearing a fluffy gray coat and a fancifully stylish bowtie, Texas Ranger, or “T.R.” as he is affectionately known, strutted into the office with just under 2 years of experience, but with a level of confidence and tranquility that is rarely found in the fast-paced advertising industry. Although his mouse proficiency remains, as of yet, untested, after acing his test days and winning over the staff, there was no option but to make T.R. an official member of the esd team.

The cat baby of Account Executive, Felice Hunt, Texas Ranger has filled the office with style, spunk and plenty of “Meow’s.” While there are risks involved in hiring non-human employees with limited professional backgrounds, since joining the team last Monday, T.R. has warmed the office with an extraordinary sense of community and comfort.

Although all have attempted to win over T.R. the esd new addition seems to have eyes for only one man and one man alone: Creative Director, Erik Simpson.

“I think Texas Ranger is trying to take over as the new Creative Director,” chortles Director of Public Relations, Gina Galaviz.

While some have watched the cat’s amorous affections with amusement, some have been less entertained by its antics.

“All he does is stalk Erik and hover over on his desk, it’s so annoying! He’s my cat!” complains exasperated cat mom, Felice Hunt.

While T.R. has provided plenty of excitement and entertainment for the esd staff, his affable presence provides the group with an even greater benefit. According to several studies, keeping a pet lowers its owners’ chances of depression, stress-related diseases and heart disease. Little health boosts like this become ever more important as winter envelops San Antonio,  bombarding Texans with lowered temperatures, increased risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and elevated occurrences of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

“It’s like having an in-house LOLcat, and I take comfort in knowing he’s there in the event of a cat-astrophe,”chimed in Social Media Strategist and amateur comedian Alan Ferguson.

“We’re glad to have T.R. on the team,” added Galaviz.

Already pulling his weight in gold by pepping up the esd team and with his enthusiastic take on anything attitude, Texas Ranger promises to be a great addition to the esd family.

To keep up with T.R.’s adventures and misadventures at esd, make sure to follow his antics on Facebook.

The event, managed by digital creative communications agency, esd & associates, opened to excited music aficionados and widespread media coverage.

While the stars took to the stage, the fans took to the Twitter-verse, stirring up a whirlwind of Texas music buzz, all the while prodded forward by onsite photo posts, tweet updates and online conversation managed by esd & associates’ social media engagement team.

“Oftentimes events or companies fail to launch their social media presence ahead of time, which results in missed communications and engagement opportunities. Simply being there when people search for you is just as important as pushing out your own information,” explained esd social media team leader, Alan Ferguson.

“People hear about an event or a brand and search for them on Facebook or Twitter and subscribe to the updates,” stated Ferguson. “Not having a fully branded, interactive presence ready to go is an opportunity that small businesses and start-ups can’t afford to miss.”

Social media has been a focus at esd & associates for years. “It’s the newest aspect of PR and its value cannot be underestimated,” glows Gina Galaviz, esd’s Director of Public Relations. “For this event in particular, we could not have had the success that we did without a dedicated, onsite social media team monitoring the conversation and keeping it fresh.”

The Twitter feed from that star-studded Wednesday event gives fans and followers alike a fun and interactive play-by-play of the event and its success:

Consider using social media for your business’ next big push. Remember: It’s important to have all of the elements in place ahead of time for the best organization and the most momentum. Plan your strategy out ahead of time so that you know who you should engage with, which hash tags to use and whether or not you should bring a camera or video recorder.

Stay in touch with the Texas Music Hall of Fame and see what’s in store for Texas music this year, follow at Twitter.com/TexasmusicHOF or Facebook.com/TexasmusicHOF.

new change brings new opportunity

Zuckerberg’s September F8 Conference marked the announcement of several modifications that have already begun to impact users. From the Smart Lists, to the News Feed, to the Personal Profile the rollouts will create a completely new functionality and look for the popular platform. While all the changes (Subscribe, Timeline, Top/Recent Stories, News Feed Ticker and Smart Lists) will affect the average user’s daily interaction style and timeline, three features stand out in particular potential
influencers of the customer-business social media interaction cycle:

• Top/Recent Stories
• News Feed Ticker
• Timeline

cut through the noise, focus on what matters

One of Facebook F8’s most noticeable products is the completely revamped News Feed homepage. The news feed now displays friend and page activities in three different sections, in two different formats. The first two sections occupy the main portion of the news feed, dividing stories by age and relevance as Top Stories and Recent Stories.

Recent Stories are just that – stories, posts, contests or interactions that have occurred recently in that day’s overall timeline. This feature is more objective than the Top Story page marque – a place where Facebook posts stories in which it feels the user may have a stronger stake or a particular interest. These areas only exhibit posts or higher interaction/traffic stories, as opposed to the previous feed, which showed each and every page and friend interaction.

Initial public reactions to Facebook’s Top Story listing were unfavorable, however, the social network provides an aside for this, making it simple for users to mark specific items as “Top Stories” and de-prioritize others. This way, each user’s Top Stories feature only the items that they actually want to see.

So how do these new features impact your organization’s social media itinerary? They make post content more important than ever. The more tantalizing your content, the more likely users are to Like, Share, Repost or Comment on them. While these interactions have always held importance, now, with the top-of-the-page Top Story spotlight jettisoning your high interaction items to enduring top-of-the-mind awareness, users will have these items in their feeds for longer. This increases their overall visibility across both individual user feeds and their momentum across the entire Facebook platform, above and before the noise of other low-traffic, “recent” stories.

tick, tick, track

Since Recent Story postings now have their own section below high-priority Top Stories, Facebook has launched the “Ticker” to keep users informed of each minute friend and page activity. The Ticker is a small, real-time scroller of ALL friend and page activities. Whether it’s a Post, a Like, or a Status or App Update, it’s ALL there, from ALL of your Facebook friends and pages. Right now, the Ticker appears only in the main Facebook homepage. However, projections anticipate that this feature may soon be extended universally across Facebook’s entire platform, as a consistently available answer to the early user complaints about Recent Stories’ downgrade.

The big benefit that the Ticker provides to businesses is similar to the benefit it provides to the average user: full activity coverage. Whenever a user likes your page, their friends see it. Once they have, no matter what you post, what you Like or how you update, the abbreviated details will show on your Fans’ Tickers. All they need to do is look, and they will see what you’re doing and be able to choose how they want to participate.

may I join you?

The Timeline is perhaps the most dramatic of F8’s unveiled prospects. A completely new way to organize user profiles, the Facebook Timeline allows users to construct a complete timeline of their lives, activities, interests, features and posts as their new profile. All user activities will be published, but some features will be pre-structured to receive more prominence than others and users will have the ability to hide, highlight, add or remove present and past events.

While the majority of Timeline’s features cater to the individual user, it does offer businesses one notable benefit: App Activity Sharing. Once a user opts to share a particular app-centric activity in which they choose to engage, like listening to a song on their Pandora or Spotify app, the Timeline automatically posts their next engagement with that same app and activity. Once published, this information becomes publicly available to the user’s friends allowing them to not only read, but also select and join their friends in that activity. Suddenly five of that person’s friends are using that app, performing that activity; then ten; then more, depending on the app activity’s intrigue.

is your social media strategy ready for F8’s opportunity explosion?

The most recent F8 rollouts provide your businesses plenty of opportunities to gain new fans and increase engagement. Plan your social media strategy ahead of time. Know and understand your brand’s personality and ensure that you have a team on hand to plan, guide and respond to fan interactions the moment they hit the user feeds.

However, take care: opportunities for success also present opportunities for failure. If your social media strategy has too many holes or your presence appears disingenuous, your content will be ignored on Tickers and excluded from Timelines and Top Stories. Consider enlisting a social media management partner to help monitor your feeds and ensure that your content presents real value, your conversations appear human and your vigilance is constant.

Facebook credits, Facebook’s exclusive, virtual currency, allows Facebook users to instantly purchase virtual goods. Although these virtual goods are typically associated with Facebook’s social gaming platform, now, more and more businesses outside the realm of social game development have begun to explore ways to benefit from this digital currency.

earn some interest

So if Facebook credits only work on Facebook can your business actually benefit from them? The short answer is, “Yes,” but long answer demands a little more detail.

Unlike the dollar, yen or euro, Facebook credits are a universal currency. Users in any Facebook friendly country have access to this social coinage. Although the revenue of Facebook’s pennies may not fall directly into your pocketbook, your business can still use Facebook credits to drive market growth:

1. Ad Conversion Rewards – Buy one get one free offers typically increase purchasing activity across the board. If your marketing budget cannot handle offering a mass, Facebook fan buy one get one free incentive, then consider another approach. Instead, offer fans a number of Facebook credits as a reward with purchase.
2. Engagement Rewards – Offers like the one mentioned have the potential to increase both your revenue and the effectiveness of your Facebook advertisements and fan engagement. To build online visibility and strengthen Facebook fan engagement, offer fans Facebook credits in exchange for “Like”s, mentions, tweets, retweets or repostings of your deals or campaign messages.
3. Credit-Product Tie-Ins – If your app has enhanced tech abilities like streaming music or video, consider offering users access to these products via Facebook credits. Then, during Facebook high traffic times, offer discounts to fans who use your credited services for repostings or to recruit friends to your page or activity.

golden currency

Facebook credits are still a fairly new concept to most businesses, which makes for an even better marketing opportunity for early adopting companies.

Even the most die hard Farmville addicts can still have trouble justifying purchasing virtual money, with real money, to buy a virtual cow or intangible good. However, when simply “Like”ing your post or purchasing your product through a Facebook ad landing page earns them 10 “free” Facebook credits, you give them the extra incentive they need to convert to a deeper level of engagement.

Campaigns like these work best when integrated as one component of a larger, overarching social media engagement or social media marketing strategy. Before beginning yours, make sure you have a clear Facebook credit campaign laid out and the expert research, engagement monitoring and social media responders in place to handle the gold rush of conversation your credit giveaway will bring in.

esd & associate

• Website Development
• Graphic Design
• One of San Antonio’s largest
  advertising agencies

making the best, better

“esd & associates’ client-centered philosophy drives us to constantly strive for the best results,” explained Creative Director, Erik Simpson. “We’re always looking for ways to improve ourselves and the services we provide to clients.” In a streamlined, post-recession economy esd’s slogan, “Get results, NOW,” resonates with clients and prospects alike. As Simpson says, “That’s our promise to our client-partners, and so far, it’s proven our best way to do things.”

Consider your personal brand. How does it reflect upon your business or organization? This consideration holds even more relevance for those in a b2b or business development leadership role. Does your personal brand add to or detract from that of the organization attempts to represent? What new benefits does your personal professional brand imply you bring to new clients or business partners? What risks? Does your online identity say that you are a bright, goal-oriented brand advocate or just another fist-pumping juice-head?

Selling yourself and your business in person is one thing, but these days you must also sell yourself and the work you do online. Let’s face it – in 2011, if you don’t exist online, you don’t exist anywhere.

Now more than ever, decision makers turn to search engines and social networks first to recommend potential new business partners. Online presence and content will often factor into discussion about whether or not your organization could become a valuable representative, partner or supplier. Online credibility tempts potential clients and partners toward your business while a non-existent or sloppily maintained social media presence can deter new prospects away from your business. Understanding how to effectively use social networking platforms will help you gain visibility, credibility and new revenue whether you represent just yourself or the entire state of Jersey.

what’s worth the effort?

With so many social networking platforms freely available, knowing which ones to use and how to do so effectively can get tricky. Review the conversation styles and etiquette of each platform and dialogue proactively. One thing the Jersey Shore can teach you about professional reputation management is that you’ve got to stay vocal and you’ve got to promote a consistent image for it to resonate in the long-term:

• Facebook: Create your own Facebook fan page. Your business should already have one, but if it’s getting too difficult for you to separate your professional identity from your personal one a fan page is a great idea for your personal professional brand. A fan page creates a more communal space for followers and fans and typically encourages more commonly relevant, professional dialogues. Fan pages also give you the freedom to promote your personal service line as a less corporate entity and using an unlimited friend count.
• LinkedIn: While many critique LinkedIn as slow and weighty, there’s no denying its use as a credibility recommendation and experience verification tool. It facilitates resource sharing and offers tools such as “Answers” to help users self-promote to industry contacts and draw traffic toward their website.
• Quora: The social networking site Quora performs double duty as a professional search engine and an engagement platform. When you register with Quora, you instantly gain access to thousands of industry experts, streamlining reliable professional networking and research. Promote your personal and business platform on Quora by interacting with others who ask questions about topics you know about. Submit your responses and post links to your online profile or business’ website to keep your whole professional digital brand platform connected.
• StumbleUpon: Do you Stumble? Chances are that if you haven’t, you have friends, family or coworkers who have. In 2010, StumbleUpon ranked globally as the number two social media network, beat out only by Facebook. When users “stumble” an interest-based search engine transports them to sites that match topics they declare on their online StumbleUpon profile. Although StumbleUpon selects new sites and blog posts based primarily off of other Stumblers’ ratings, suggesting your profile, blog or business website will increase your likelihood of getting stumbled.
• Twitter: Whether you represent yourself as a brand or a large organization, using Twitter correctly can give you visibility and personal stock value. However, take care – you must carefully monitor Twitter and illicit true engagement, or risk looking like a spammer and end up losing followers more quickly than you can gain them. Follow others in your industry and hold genuine online dialogues with them. Use hash tags and links thoughtfully to tie your conversations back to your own research, business and profile. Twitter’s platform keeps you in the game, but the relevance, professionalism and relatability of your content will make or break your Twitter reputation.
• Vizibility: In the world’s multi-billion person population chances are, at least one other person shares your name. To prevent potentially disastrous Google background checks for your business, professionals have begun to distinguish their online profile through proactive, technological tools like Vizibility. Vizibility allows professionals to request a customized Google search results page link, organized to deliver only the content most relevant to YOU and your professional brand. They also supply you with an original QR code that you can integrate onto your website, business card or resume.

working the networks

The unique benefits you and your business bring to your industry and clients should form the foundation of your professional social media strategy. Your connections and conversations should form the framework. Thoughtfully choose which platforms offer the most beneficial reach and information distribution network.

Enhancing your professional brand through social media requires a goal-oriented perspective. Tailor your online identity and promotion strategies carefully, constantly mindful of the end result you hope to achieve. If you hope to become the next Situation, great, promote your over the top, “gorilla” qualities and you’ll have it made. If you’re trying to become the next expert on human resource development, interact with industry leaders, new and seasoned job searchers and share the e-savvy, HR specialties of your organization.

Effective reputation management and professional brand promotion is a full time job. You must constantly monitor your mentions, messages and feedback and respond in a timely, invested manner. If you cannot fully manage your social media brand efforts, consider working with a social media partner with the know-how and time available to make your brand a valuable contributor to that of your business. Your reputation is your greatest asset, so handle it with care.