Way to make it to Friday SmartBrief on Social Media fans! If you’re planning a little getaway this weekend, why not check out Virgin Atlantic’s new social media offering, Vtravelled.com. The site allows visitors to collaboratively plan trips– sharing their destinations, schedules and the like. Seems like a great way to make plans with a buddy or even meet new traveling companions.
Although there’s a lot of buzz about tools like Twitter, the blog is still a foundational component to a healthy social-media strategy. That said, there’s a lot you can do to make your content easier to share and discover.
What to do:
- Announce new posts through Twitter. People love to forward good content via Twitter, so be sure to mix in new post announcements along with your regular Twitter updates.
- Connect your blog to Facebook. Through Facebook, you can automatically import new posts as “notes” as well as set your status to share links to your new content.
- Put it in an e-mail. Email is still the king of easily forwarded content, so offer e-mail subscriptions along with your regular RSS options.
Here at SmartBrief on Social Media, we hate spam e-mail and we’re willing to bet we’re not the only ones. Come to think of it, no one likes junk mail or telemarketers either. So why are people still trying to apply those uber-annoying blast tactics to social media? Check out the “Total Spammer” and five other hideous personalities that are ruining social media for everyone else. The common thread? They all completely fail to treat the people they’re “networking” with like actual human beings.
- The six most annoying social media personalities
- Is your business killing social media?
- Twitter: Great for news, lousy for retail
Image credit, iStock (read more…)
SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in Smartbrief on Social Media — tracks feedback from leading marketers about social media practices and issues. Paul Chaney, Internet marketing director for Bizzuka and member of the SmartBrief on Social Media Advisory Board, helps create the questions and analyzes the results. We run the poll question each Wednesday in our e-newsletter and feature Paul’s analysis on this blog.
Last week’s SmartPulse question: How much of your time each day is spent using social media?
- Less than 1 hour, 48%
- 1 to 4 hours, 41%
- 4 to 8 hours, 8%
- More than 8 hours, 3%
“I admit to being surprised at these results. Given that I spend several hours per day using social media, I would have assumed the audience for this newsletter would trend toward more avid users. However, if staying on top of breaking news and trends is the primary habit, as another recent poll suggested, that would synch well with the trend toward minimal usage.” –Paul Chaney (read more…)
Pop quiz hotshot: there’s an ongoing crisis and a lack of official information. Where do you turn to get your news fix? If you’re like most people, you increasingly look to social media to fill the void. The trouble is, the information out there might not be accurate, according to a University of Texas at Austin study. The study’s authors say the report underlines the need for fast official responses. Check their finding and other nifty links in today’s bonus tracks from SmartBrief on Social Media.
- How social media can help in a crisis
- AP outlines controversial social media policy
- Is social media direct marketing?
Image credit, iStock (read more…)
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