Archive for Social Media
The Reports of Blogging’s Death are Greatly Exaggerated*
Posted by: | CommentsWell, you’d think blogging was definitely on the way out for companies, based on a new study, 2012 Inc. 500 Social Media Update.
Although USA Today pretty much wrote off blogging in its coverage of the results, it did quote Scott Monty, head of social media at Ford Motor, as saying that engaging blogs can serve crucial marketing goals — especially executives out to establish expertise in their industry.
CMOs Interviewed
The Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts surveyed the chief marketing officers of Inc. Magazine’s 500 fastest growing companies to learn how their adoption of social media has changed since 2011.
The big news, according to the study, is that CMOs are turning to new platforms and tools including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, texting, downloadable mobile apps and Foursquare.
If you study the chart below, you will see that blogging has been increasingly successful as a social media strategy over the past three years, reaching 92% in usage even as its adoption as a social media tool drops. Blogging is still widely used by advertising and communications companies, less so by government agencies. Oddly, this was the first study including LinkedIn, which showed up at 73% usage, just behind Facebook’s 74%, which topped the list.
Read More→
How to Blog for International Audiences
Posted by: | CommentsThe blogosphere is by its very nature a truly global phenomenon. Anyone with an Internet connection can, in theory, access your blog, no matter where they are in the world. But that doesn’t mean they will. To blog for an international audience, you need to make sure your content is appealing and accessible across cultural and linguistic divides.
Target your blog
Christian Arno
On the day The Huffington Post launched its French edition, founder Arianna Huffington said, “While we will be importing the platform, technology, and tools from across the pond, Le Huffington Post will be rooted in French culture and will reflect France’s own unique personality, rich culture, and diversity of voices.”
As with the preceding Canadian and UK versions, the news giant has tailored its French content to appeal to a specific international audience. We can’t all have the resources of Technorati’s current top-rated blog, but we can focus our efforts on markets that are likely to pay dividends.
The exact nature of your blog will help determine where you should start. A blog about soccer will have a wide potential appeal throughout much of the world but may have a more select, niche appeal within the USA. Concentrating on the Major Soccer League (MSL) could help reach that niche audience while in-depth coverage of leagues based in South America or Europe could give you inroads into those markets. Read More→
LinkedIn Launches Targeted Updates and Follower Statistics
Posted by: | CommentsLinkedIn has matured since I joined in 2005, two years after this social network for business professionals was launched. It’s added many new features – like company pages – and there are now 1.2 Groups, or communities of members with shared interests who can exchange ideas and join discussions.
Now LinkedIn is about to launch two new features for company pages — Targeted Updates and Follower Statistics. While these new features are not yet available to everyone, HubSpot got the inside scoop directly from LinkedIn.
Soon, companies will be able to target status updates on their company pages to specific followers with content relevant to them. Followers can also be segmented by company size, industry, job function, seniority and geography.
Follower Statistics provides insights about follower demographics, engagement levels, update impressions, total following, recent followers, and number of new followers month-to-month.
Here is a video from LinkedIn about Targeted Updates.
My LinkedIn Archive
I’ve written several “how-to”posts about LinkedIn. Assuming you may have missed a few, I’ve compiled a list of the titles and links to the posts. Obviously, there are many more features — and I’ll continue to provide you with updates.
LinkedIn also has a Learning Center where you can find out more about the site’s features. You might want to go take a look.
Here are 10 posts with tips about using LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Adds New Feature to Discover People You May Know
I Was Booted Out of a LinkedIn Group (Don’t Worry, I’m Back)
LinkedIn Enables Message Updates on Company Pages
Generate Live Leads Through LinkedIn
How LinkedIn Changed the Way I Do Business
Are you Guilty of Using Clichés on LinkedIn?
Should You Be a LinkedIn LION?
LinkedIn Sneaks Into Town With StumbleUpon
How to Insert the Name of Your Website into Your LinkedIn Profile
How to Write a LinkedIn Invitation
Please leave a comment below if you’d like to add other LinkedIn features you’ve found useful, or tips to make the LinkedIn experience more valuable to business professionals.
LinkedIn Adds New Feature to Discover People You May Know
Posted by: | CommentsLinkedIn is making it easier for you to find potential connections with a new feature it calls Discover People You May Know. From your home page you can add a connection, click through to learn more about someone you may know, or view a full list of recommendations. You can learn more in this short video.
