social media marketing Archives

April 18, 2016 By Jody Raines Leave a Comment

3 Social Media Mistakes To Kill Your LinkedIn Credibility

Social Media can make you rich! If you had a dollar for every mistake that someone made using social media, you’d be a very wealthy person! In the meantime, the catalyst for this post was an email that I received from someone I am not well acquainted with, but who asked to connect with me on Linkedin.

The letter began with, “Im sorry to bother you but…”

For the record, I really like Linked In. It’s a resume online and also a living Rolodex (yes, I am dating myself), but the cool thing is that it enables me to keep up with my professional network despite years and distance and career hops and leaps and changes. I love the fact that each person updates their contact information so I can congratulate them on the promotions, or encourage them through the changes. It’s remarkable because it’s a tool for business relationships, unlike Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Instagram. In this respect, Linkedin is unique and I love that about this interface.

1.LinkedIn is a BUSINESS Social network platform

So, my first gripe with new users is a big mistake of not understanding the nature of Linked-in as a business platform. It’s fine to connect with friends and expand your relationship to include business. What is not fine is to undermine your professional account with a casual, non-business profile photo. That means the picture of your beautiful dog or amazing cat will not do – unless you want to give the impression of being less than credible. Also, the photo of you swinging a bat at the company softball game, not a good choice. You should pic a photo of you playing baseball if you are a pro baseball player, otherwise, it’s not the right image to project. Leave the sweatshirts, tank tops, cocktail hour, family vacation shots on Facebook – this is not the place for them.

2. Don’t spam the Linked in Connections

My second gripe – ok, so we are connected. Now is your chance! Develop a social media relationship, right? Send an email, get to know each other… or wait, try to sell me something? What? I don’t really know you, I connected because perhaps we met at an event and had a nice conversation… the reality is that you don’t know me, don’t know my company and you are sending me the same template email you sent to everyone else. Do you really think I am going to jump out of my seat now that I got your email and pick up the phone to buy what you are selling? I don’t think so. In fact, most sales take place after you have developed a relationship. Social media is “social” for a reason – to use it as a device to create more emails to send out letter to is a disservice to you, your organization and it’s disrespectful of the connection. If you use Linked in to attempt to sell to me, you risk being disconnected. If I like you, I may reach out to you first, to try to explain why what you did was a bad idea… if that doesn’t work, will disconnect. Part of the power of linkedin is the ability to potentially connect with the connections of the person you are connected to. Yes, that sounds complicated, but what it means is that my network is now open for you to peruse. Why would I open my network to someone who seems to be ignorant of the protocols? I don’t want to be associated with that behavior, nor would I do business with someone who utilizes a network that way, so it’s not a loss to disconnect.

3 Linkedin is about QUALITY not QUANTITY

My third gripe and a very common mistake, is the false belief that someone who has a lot of connections must be very important. There are some people on Linkedin who will connect with anyone and everyone – this is called an “Open Networker” To say that someone has the “most” connections on Linked in does not say the same thing as having the most relationships. There is greater power in having relationships where you can ask or share or tell and it has some influence. The relative amount of influence if directly correlated to the depth of the relationship and the mutual respect. If I met you once at a networking event, and you immediately stared spamming my inbox, there is no mutual respect, no relationship, and no reason to continue to stay ‘connected’.

I suppose if you start an email with “I’m sorry to bother you, but…” you already know it’s not a good idea to send the email, right?

August 20, 2013 By Jody Raines Leave a Comment

Mobile App Recommendation: WAZE Is A Great GPS Alternative

Traveling in a mobile society has it’s advantages. Using a GPS or Global Positioning System for navigation information makes traveling so much easier. With so many ways to get from point A to point B, todays mobile society has more than a GPS as an option. Google Maps, Apple Maps (although greatly criticized), Yahoo maps, Yelp Directories, and even Mapquest are all excellent solutions.

Although for some navigation, a paper map is still useful, for the most part, a GPS can determine a route to get you pretty much anywhere these days.

But with most of the mobile solutions, there are some limitations – for example, most GPS’s need to be updated periodically. These are not built to contend with real-time, real-life ongoing challenges. They are accurate to a point, and if you do not get a GPS that offers lifetime map updating, you may be working with bad information which can result in wrong turns and travel delays.

My last vehicle had an in-dash GPS which I thought was super cool at the time. It was, to a point. At the end of the two year period, I would have to pay a few hundred dollars to get a CD with new maps. I was unwilling to do that, so I just dealt with the inconsistencies that had developed over the last two years.

My next GPS was a small Garmin, which I then upgraded to a top-of-the-line Zumo, which coud be used either in the car or on my motorcycle. The Zumo is water resistant, programmable and can be operated in either motorcycle mode or car mode. The touch screen can be manipulated even if I am wearting gloves. I can swap routes with my friends and can download points of interest that appeal to me. I have all the Roadside America attractions set to alert me when I am near by. Pretty darn neat. right? I thought so, until recently…

I didn’t realize how limited my Garmin GPS was until this past weekend when I downloaded and started using the WAZE app. Yes, the GPS is still clearer and generally more reliable but WAZE (which was recently acquired by Google) brings a brilliant solution of crowdsourcing that has the edge when it comes to real-time reporting of road conditions.

The WAZE app was actually recommended to me by friend Brad Chasenore during a TechWebCast podcast. It was also recommended to me by Chris Voss of the Chris Voss Show, on another podcast. I was reluctant to get involved with another location based application because I just don’t want people to know where I am. But this past week, I was visiting my 88 year old mom who is taking classes on how to get the most out of her iPad, when she asked me if I heard about WAZE, and whether I had used it. Frankly, Mom knew more about the app than I did, which was a tad embarrassing… (I’m fessing up here!). As with any app I was skeptical and at first, I was concerned about an app that has a cute interface that represented me with a pink blob that looked a bit like an old “ABC” piece of chewing gum.

I had the opportunity to “road test” the app on a recent 1,000 mile trip along the East Coast. Real life experience using the app has made me a believer and here’s why:

Waze is used by thousands of other drivers who are reporting real time information such as
- Location of police officers along the route.
- Location of construction hazards.
- Location of debris on the road.
- Issues like abandoned vehicles or animals on the roadway.

Waze is a social community for reporting driving hazards and conditions that is refreshingly simple to use and has crowdsourced real-time road conditions. And it’s free!

Recently purchased by Google, Waze recently started integrating Google Maps with the Waze Map reports, hopefully to create a newer, more powerful interface. Although they are currently under examination by the FTC, there is hopefully a strong opportunity for this powerful little app to have the benefit of a cash injection from Google.

Some of the reasons I love Waze is because it truly helps you get where you are going faster. Recently I avoided a serious headache when my little Waze app told me to go around an accident scene before I could even see that there would be traffic on my route. I use the app each morning, and it does evaluate which route will be fastest that day – one day it’s one way and the next day it sends me a different way. I am not 100% trusting the app yet, but it’s proving itself to be very reliable.

In addition, there is a cool gamification aspect that will keep you signing in more and more. Each time you report a hazard or a traffic jam, you are awarded points. Sometimes you are thanked by other drivers who you helped. The points accumulate and you “earn” different avatars. I am proud to report that in my first fifteen days, I’ve advanced to a Waze Warrior! But that’s not all. You can integrate the app with Facebook and Twitter and then compare your score to your friends score. You can compare your score to the leaders in the state as well. If that’s not enough, you can Facebook post or Tweet to let others know what is going on with the road.

Downsides to the app – it makes my phone heat up. It depletes the battery – I go from 100% charged to no battery – shutoff in about an hour even with no other apps running. Other friends who use the app have complained about cell phone quality dropping and even being unable to make calls while using the Waze app.

Plus, we don’t know yet what Google will do with the Waze app. Right now, I think it’s definitely worth having, especially if you are someone who commutes a distance or who drives alot.

May 30, 2013 By Jody Raines Leave a Comment

Arrested Development’s “Face Block”: Should You Block Your LinkedIn Profile?

As an Arrested Development Fan, I got a huge chuckle from several of the episodes of the newly released season on Netflix, but what I found intriguing beyond Tobias’s new license plate was George Michael’s new software company called Face Block. In the fictional story, a software that can block your profile from ever showing up is the new investment darling and George Michael plays a role that is reminiscent of the movie “Network” about the founding of Facebook. But does it make sense to have a sort of anti-social social network like Face Block? If you have ever made a ‘bad’ online connection, you may think so.

Linked in is a wonderful place to connect with business contacts and stay in touch. As wonderful as a living, breathing “rolodex” that LinkedIn can be, there is also nefarious side to Linkedin that you need to be aware of. Unfortunately, it can be used as a sales tool, or a way to spam your inbox under the guise of connecting for mutual business. When that happens, you may think twice about the person you’ve connected with.

Sometimes in our exuberance of building a network, there may be times that you’ve accepted a connection then come to realize that the person is not someone you want to be connected to. Since we are known by the company that we keep, this may be reason to disconnect or even block the person.

Unfortunately, LinkedIn does not offer an option to block another member at this time.

If you suspect someone may be trolling your profile or your connections, you may wish to lock down your contact list.

Hiding your connections is not the way LinkedIn works best, though. There is a value in having your connections view-able, again, its the company that you keep mentality. I’m proud of my connections and I know all of them. That’s an important distinction. Knowing your connections is much more valuable than connecting indiscriminately. If people know you and trust your opinion, they are more likely to respond favorable if or when you request something.

While watching the new episodes of Arrested Development on NetFlix, I got a chuckle out of George Michael’s “Face Block” software. Unfortunately it would be almost impossible to block your profile on every social network. Even if you could block specific people on one network, they could create an alter identity and view your posts.

The safest way to control what someone can take from what you post online is to only post things that are safe if made public or to share. If someone has evil intent, that will be evident soon enough. Blocking on Linkedin, Facebook or Google+ is of limited value.

Obviously do not post if you will be away from home or on a trip – especially before you leave. If you wish to share pictures of your trip after you return, that’s a much safer option.

Keep in mind when receiving invitations to accept that friends of your friends may not necessarily be your friends as well. Many people are busy, and they will accept an invitation without fully investigating who they are connecting with. They may do this because they feel it’s a numbers game, or because they just connect with anyone. If you keep in mind that the value of LinkedIn is through the types of relationships that you have developed, then you will realize that having a huge network may be a lot less desirable than having a small network of strong relationships.

And you are known by the company that you keep.

First, let’s discuss what current privacy settings are available on Linkedin:

1. Blocking / Hiding Your Photo: Why would you want to block your photo? Some people are concerned about other people swiping their image to use for devious purposes. It’s hard to prevent this from happening, and honestly,

2. Changing Your Profile Display Name: If you originally used your married name and want to use your maiden name, or if you decide you prefer to use a nicname, you can change the profile display name.

3. Hiding Your Public Profile: If you prefer not to be contacted by individuals then you can still have a profile, but hide it from others. This also precludes you from seeing anyone who may want to “view” your profile. I’ve learned a lot from seeing who was viewing me.

4. Controlling Who Can Send You Invitations: You may not wish to be contacted by others, and controlling who can send you invitations is a way to stop certain individuals from connecting. Essentially the choices are:

All Invitations (this is the default).
Only invitations from people who know my email address or appear in my “Imported Contacts” list.
Only invitations from people who appear in my “Imported Contacts” list

So, what should you consider before accepting or extending an invitation to link with someone:

Is this someone you know? If you have never met, being asked to connect is suspicious. One tactic that you should be aware of is when someone contacts you to connect because you are both members of an International Organization, like Rotary. Just because someone says they are part of an organization does not mean that they are, and also does not make that person a safe connection.
Has the person created multiple companies where they are the CEO or President or Founder? Is there a track record of ‘new’ organizations over the last few months? That’s a huge tip-off of a fraud, especially if the organization is one that you never heard of, but which has a name that is similar to one that you may know of. Some companies use this as a way to sound like you should recognize them when they are not the company that you are thinking of. Look for misspellings or creative spelling or hyphenation of the company or organization’s name.
Has the person suddenly connected with a large number of people in your network over the last year? You never heard of him or her a year ago, and now suddenly they are connected with over a hundred mutual contacts! That’s an overt attempt to cluster contacts to appear credible. Consider that a huge red flag for potential fraud.
Look a the person’s contacts? Are they connected to disreputable or sketchy people? You are known by the company that you keep… beware!
What about memberships? Has the person listed membership in organizations that the person is not a member of? This may be hard to discern from a Linkedin profile, but ask around!
Has the person enumerated too many roles within a company such as founder, marketer, innovator, entrepreneur, manufacturer, etc? Some buzzwords to beware may include “entrepreneur” (aren’t we all, but who really needs to list this), “shaman” (Ok this is just crazy), “serial” anything (this even sounds scary!).
Someone you’ve never heard of, who claims they had an International company or invented eBay before eBay… run! That’s just crazy talk!

In short, be careful. You can disconnect or un-link, but think twice about accepting invites from people you don’t know without first evaluating who they are. What you find out may surprise you!

February 12, 2012 By Jody Raines Leave a Comment

Google+ or Facebook: Which Social Media Is Best?

Google+ is the “new” social media and social networking platform for Google, which is purportedly the new rival to Facebook. No question, Facebook has more users, and there is incredible loyalty despite the variable security issues that Facebook has been struggling with.

Whether you like it or not, the world has change to a place where ‘social’ is the new ‘business’ platform. Social media, including Facebook and Google+ are important for business marketers for many reasons:

Your customers are using it
Your competitors are using it
Your customers expect you to be using it.

In the marketing battle for awareness and band identity, social media has become an important tool.

The relationship between search and social has become fuzzier and fuzzier. Google, which is recognized as the premier search engine, only recently became a power player in the social media and social networking arenas. As Google+ grows in popularity, the interrelationship between search and social has become more and more evident. Now, if you are logged into Google and you search for a term the recommendations of your social network will appear next to the results. Whether it impacts the ranking of the results is still a question, however there potentially is a tendency for people to click on the result that a friend or peer has recommended.

With Facebook business pages, Facebook has upped their stake in the social media marketing wars by enabling business pages to be indexed by Google. Originally, personal pages were not indexed. Business pages are subject to terms of use that govern the way contests or giveaways can be conducted, however, since so many people are already on Facebook, there is the expectation that businesses will also be there, and will be sharing information and engaging with their customers.

Google+ business pages are relatively new, and the rules to add people to business page circles are not as easy as the rules to add people to personal Google+ pages. To circle people as a business, the person must circle the business page first.

How you intend to use Google+ business pages or Facebook business pages will enter into your decision regarding where you feel you need to invest your time. Currently, Google+ is more business and tech heavy with regard to the audience, and Facebook is much more social. Dependent upon who your target audience is, and what your message is, and how you want to engage, you may chose to be on both platforms or concentrate on one or the other.

With regard to which is best, the answer is – it depends upon your business, who you intend to reach, what your message is, and what your goals are for your marketing program. Establishing your marketing plan first and determining what your goals are would be the first step to determining where you should spend your time and your marketing investment.

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