SSS for Success (Simplified Social Media Solutions) Blog and Podcast Series

3 Reasons to Upgrade to HootSuite Pro

I use HootSuite to help me manage my company’s social media. I started off using their free version years ago, and over time, as they began to offer more value to their users, HootSuite instituted both free and paid versions. Initially, I was reluctant to move over to the “paid version”, because I’m always skittish of companies that start free, then pare down their services and offer paid options once they get popular. However, I found that HootSuite didn’t do this. Yes, they limited the number of social networks you can have on free accounts, but that was a good thing because it helped to separate the smaller microenterprises from bigger businesses that have a need to manage multiple networks and have team members. Even now, HootSuite’s FREE offerings are a great deal and ideal for newcomers to social media looking to get a handle on managing their profiles (with it comes ad-supported Free Social Analytics, up to 5 Social Profiles, and 2 RSS/Atom Feeds). What I learned after using HootSuite for quite some time, is that there are three (3) Reasons to Upgrade to HootSuite Pro right now:

Google Analytics and Facebook Insights: HootSuite offers Google Analytics integration along with Facebook Insights to show you information about who engages with your Facebook page through LIKES, post feedback, and other analytics. Quick Analytics provides a great way to get a snapshot of the last day, week, or month, and Custom Analytics lets you monitor the success of your social media efforts over 30 analytics modules published into printable reports that you can share.
Unlimited Social Profiles and RSS/Atom Feeds: If you’re managing multiple brands or have several company social profiles of your own, the ability to add them all to your HootSuite Dashboard is awesome! At one point, I was actively managing 15 different profiles, and one of the ONLY ways to do that successfully, without having to log in/out of various platforms all day, was to use HootSuite. Plus, having only ONE location to log into for social media management just makes life easier and saves me time. This is well worth the $6/month for HootSuite Pro.
Bulk Message Scheduling: With a HootSuite Pro account, you have the ability to Bulk Schedule up to 50 messages at a time using the bulk upload tool. With a specially formatted .CSV file (made through Excel or your Spreadsheet Software in the format of: DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM,"MESSAGE","URL"), you simply select a social profile and upload the .CSV file and HootSuite will deliver accordingly. I like this option because it gives me the opportunity to keep a constant stream of content on my social media profiles. I use this to augment my other social networking activities, but it’s good that there’s a safety net on days when I can’t actively produce new content. It takes me about one long afternoon every 2 months to generate a list of interesting article I’ve collected and want to share. Doing so helps me stay abreast of developments in my field, and aids me in promoting others and using social media to spread useful information to all interested parties. Also, periodic review of my bulk scheduled messages’ analytics tells me what the “hot topics” are, and helps guide me towards what kind of content I should consider for future blog posts.

HootSuite Pro is definitely the best $6/month investment I’ve made in a long time. You should try it!

Are you using HootSuite?

I Am Now A Certified Search Engine Marketer

By sss4success 3 Comments

I recently became a Certified Search Engine Marketer through Search Engine College after spending a bit of time enhancing my Online Marketing skills. I came across the Certificate Course through my local community college when I wanted to update my skills for the new digital economy. The Course is entirely online and you get all the benefits of online instruction like learning up-to-date and in-demand job skills, and having the ability to start working any time you have the time, and set your own pace for completion.

One of the things I liked about the course is that it helped me to refine my Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click Advertising, and Website Copyrighting skills, even though I have been informally performing these skills on the job and in my own businesses for more than a decade. I like how the course brought together the "random" nuggets of knowledge I've acquired throughout the years, and presented it in a standardized, easy-to-follow format. I also appreciate that the Certificate Study that I completed included tutor-guidance, which meant that I could get help and feedback, in addition to graded work assignments that help me further improve my skills in each of the classes I took. What I've learned has helped me improve my skills and it makes me more marketable as Technology & Social Media Specialist. You can read more about my classes and experiences on my website here: http://www.kindracotton.com/about/certified-search-engine-marketer.html

Keep me in mind for your Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC), and Website Copywriting needs. I’m here to help (Contact Me).

Are you in need of a Certified Search Engine Marketer?

Kindra Cotton, Certified Search Engine Marketer

By the way, you can click the image below to learn more about Search Engine College and their course offerings, if you’re interested.

What You Should Consider When Creating Your Social Media Policy

By sss4success 1 Comment

Social media provides powerful communication tools that can have a significant impact on organizations and professional reputations. Thus, creating a Social Media Policy is one of the best ways to protect and enhance personal and professional reputations in the online arena. If you’re a one-person shop, you probably don’t have to spend too much time worrying about Social Media Policy, but if you intend to later employ workers, or outsource your company’s social media to a qualified professional, then here are seven (7) things to consider when crafting your social media policy:

Define the Purpose of Social Media Use in Your Company: Reiterate the goals of your social media marketing effort and what you hope to achieve through your use of new media.
Have a Plan: Consider your message, intended audiences, and the overall goals to be reached through social media, and design a strategy that works to meet those goals.
Introduce the Social Media Policy with Employee-centric Language: Apply the “What’s In It For Me?” Rule when introducing employees to their new Social Media Policy. Focus on the things they can do, rather than what they can’t do, thus shifting the paradigm of compliance.
Outline Responsibilities: Specifically state who provides final approval for the content and who is in charge of managing your social media outlets.
Encourage Employees/Contractors to Exercise Good Judgment and Use Common Sense: Search engines can archive posts and comments for years after they’ve been created, and words can be easily forwarded, mass-produced, and re-broadcast several times over in the realm of new media, thus employees and contractors should be encouraged to be prudent in their actions on social media and exercise good judgment.
Distinguish the “Personal Voice” from the “Institutional Voice”: Specifically state the perimeters upon which employees are allowed to use company-branded social media outlets, and how they may utilize their affiliation with your company in their personal social media space (if at all).
Update Your Policy (as needed): The ever-changing nature of the technology-based mediums of social media means that the tools can and do change frequently. While any Social Media Policy constructed should focus on the principles behind the policy and not one specific platform, periodic review of the policy, along with an annual employee affirmation of your company’s policy, is a good way to ensure that it is relevant and effect in the social networking space.

Do you have any questions about social media policy?

5 Simple Steps to Start Using Social Media Today

By sss4success 1 Comment

social-media-bandwagon — Creative Commons by Matt Hamm

Even with the proliferation of news media outlets reporting record uses of technology and social media and tons of success stories of how smaller organizations are able to use social media to increase their bottom line, there are still some people “on the fence” about whether or not social media will work for them and their company (Check out this cool infographic on How Small Businesses Are Using Social Media).

For those few, still sitting on the sidelines wondering if Social Media will work for them, I propose the following 5 Simple Steps to Get Started Using Social Media Today:

1. Stake Your Claim: Grab your name on all of the social media networks out there (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, etc.). It’s always better to be safe rather than sorry and risk losing your name to someone else who picks it up once you’ve become popular. Also, if you grab a name, like a Twitter account, but don’t intend to use it that often, note that on the profile, and tell your visitors the best place to find you online.

2. Make It Look Professional: If your goal is to lead people to your company’s website or blog, make sure it looks professional and is user-friendly when visitors arrive. You only get one chance to make a first impression. If visitors check out your site once and don’t like it, they likely won’t return again.

3. Try It for Three Months: Start with 3 months of content to give yourself an opportunity to learn the tools and how best to use them, and to figure out some of the better strategies for engaging your audience in the social media space.

4. Review Your Analytics: After the first three months, have a look at your web and social media analytics and decide what they’re telling you. I suggest you only look at your analytics AFTER a few months have passed, because it will drive you crazy to look at them on daily or weekly basis, especially since you likely won’t see much change in the early days.

5. Repeat Step 3 for Another Three Months: Building relationships and capitalizing on the widespread popularity of social interaction for business use is something that takes time. Let your first three months be the “test case” for whether or not you can handle adding a social media marketing strategy to your marketing mix, and finding out of social media venues truly work for your brand and your customers. Also, be prepared to tweak things here and there as the need arises. Now’s the time to ask yourself a few questions: After three months, can you see the potential of where this can lead? Have you uncovered some new information about yourself, your customers, or your competition that can give you the edge for how you market to your customer base? Can your business afford not to be engaging customers in some capacity on social networks, given the millions of people that roam the web every day?

At the end of the day, you don’t want to miss the opportunity to be proactive in marketing your business online. At the very least, give it a six-month concerted effort and see if it’s for you. And don’t, I can help. Feel free to use me as a resource, either for Social Media Training (where I show you how to use these tools for yourself) or Social Media Consulting (where I use these tools on your behalf). Fill out the Contact Us form to get started.

What’s stopping you from using social media in your small business?

Kindra Cotton, Small Business Survival Specialist