Today’s guest post is by Elizabeth Arritt, director of marketing for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, where she leads the strategy and implementation of social media.
Any conversation on social media and marketing invariably turns to the big question: Which social media platform is right for you? Depending on your industry and your message, the answer may be most of them, but the answer is never just one. As with every other aspect of your marketing mix, the key to good social media strategy is integration.
The possibilities of integration on the Internet are endless, but here are four tips for a good start:
Be everywhere
Everyone has an argument for their favorite social media platform. As with traditional advertising, you need to ensure your presence is everywhere your audience is, as long as the medium fits the message.
Know the rules of each community before you participate
Each social media platform has its own written and unwritten rules. Be sure to understand those rules before you start participating. For example, Twitter as a community frowns upon shouting out your message without engaging in conversation and promoting others. Facebook has different rules for fan pages as opposed to personal pages. Join the communities as an observer before diving into the fray.
Maximize behind-the-scenes integration
Once you’re versed in the media, tie it all together and make it work for you. Facebook can automatically post your Twitter posts (and vice versa) with a quick setup change. Both have feeds you can automatically post to your Web site. When it’s possible, I prefer to tailor the message to fit the medium with separate posts. On the go, however, that’s not always possible, so I’ve set up the organization’s Twitter account on my phone. If we have news, one quick Tweet from my phone makes it to Twitter, Facebook and the front page of our Web site in minutes.
Cross-promote
It’s possible your message is being read by someone on their favorite platform, and they’ll never see your other social media sites. It’s also possible they stumbled across it, and if they don’t see your other platforms, you may never see them again. How can you ensure they know you’re where they are?
- Have a central page on your Web site listing all your available social media platforms. Make it an organization policy to have the social media platforms (or a link to that central page) in all e-mail signature files.
- Mention other platforms. Tweet occasionally that you are on Facebook. Post a Facebook link to Twitter.
- Make sure your core customers or members know where they can find you. Send a blast e-mail or put it in your newsletter, but make sure they know where you are.
The real power of social media lies in using all of it as a whole. Learn how to integrate the media and you’ll have finally mastered the ability to be everywhere at once.
Image credit, geopaul, via iStock
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Excellent informative post. Thanks for sharing.
[...] SmartBlog On Social Media » How to integrate your social media presence smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2009/10/05/how-to-integrate-your-social-media-presence – view page – cached Today’s guest post is by Elizabeth Arritt, director of marketing for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, where she leads the strategy and implementation of social media. — From the page [...]
[...] SmartBlog On Social Media » How to integrate your social media presence smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2009/10/05/how-to-integrate-your-social-media-presence – view page – cached Today’s guest post is by Elizabeth Arritt, director of marketing for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, where she leads the strategy and implementation of social media. — From the page [...]
We have begun to use these tips and are still perfecting our use of them!
Excellent article. One reason why I like to keep my tweets and my Facebook updates separate is because when I send a blog post to FB it adds in the graphic from the blog post. If the update comes through Twitter to FB that doesn’t happen, which means the post doesn’t stand out quite as much in my friends’ streams. I get more comments on FB posts when additional graphics accompany the updates.
@Jay S. Fleischman – I absolutely agree. Whenever possible, I prefer to tailor the posts for Facebook and Twitter separately for the same reasons. I love the flexibility of being able to post to Twitter on the phone from wherever I am, though, and have it go everywhere, as getting out the message is the more important part.
I’ve also found I tend to get as many, if not more, comments on the twitter feed posts to Facebook than I do on the ones formatted for Facebook. I wonder if the graphics actually detract in some cases, as they look more like Facebook advertisements and less like friends feed posts.
Thank you for your comments. As you wrote, “…Have a central page on your Web site listing all your available social media platforms…” I have been using http://www.dandyid.org/beta/welcome to put my digital footprints on my blog & website. There is also http://mynameise.com/dougcaldwell to create a digital business card with links to my social media. And finally there is also http://www.retaggr.com/ to add to your email signature to connect to one’s social media sites.
@Doug Caldwell Thanks for those links–those are great resources!
Great article Mary Ellen. I’m presently writing a book on social media monetization from a marketing perspective and my personal use and research have parallel messages. I’d suggest putting a caveat on “being everywhere”. There is a point of diminishing return if a business does not build a relationship and legitimate presence within a social network.
I’ve come across businesses and professionals that have a dozen to two dozen social network accounts. They are everywhere. Regardless of how many networks you are on there should be first an understanding of best practice (how to use the medium superbly), a conversion process (how to transfer into relationships/business) and success metrics (am I getting results that matter).
I’m sharing your blog with Facebook group and Twitter. Thanks again.
[...] A recent guest blogger, Elizabeth Arritt, who leads strategy and implementation of social media for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, gave a few good ideas to get you started in the world of internet integration. [...]
[...] 4 ways to integrate your social-media presence [...]
[...] Here is a great post about how to integrate your social media presence: http://smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2009/10/05/how-to-integrate-your-social-media-presence/ [...]
[...] 4 ways to integrate your social-media presence It’s not enough for businesses to reach out to their audiences on a single social-media platform, argues Elizabeth Arritt, director of marketing for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The best approach is to spread your message to every corner of the digital world with a well-planned integration strategy, she writes. Take advantage of automated tools, use cross promotion to show fans new ways to follow you and make sure you understand the community you’re marketing to before you begin, she suggests. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Social Media [...]
[...] Ellen Slater has some great tips in how your company can integrate its social media presence. She recommends first and [...]
[...] Ellen Slater has some great tips in how your company can integrate its social media presence. She recommends first and [...]
[...] How to integrate your social media presence: I started on Facebook and Twitter before I really thought about how I wanted to use them. Which is why I really like the tips in this blog post from Mary Ellen Slater. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)TwitterTwitter for Educators: New Series!‘Twitter’ the day away5 ways for Mac users to get ready for NaNoWriMo [...]
[...] How to integrate your social media presence: I started on Facebook and Twitter before I really thought about how I wanted to use them. Which is why I really like the tips in this blog post from Mary Ellen Slater. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)TwitterTwitter for Educators: New Series!‘Twitter’ the day away5 ways for Mac users to get ready for NaNoWriMo [...]
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