Article contributed by Pauleen Craknell

 

To quote @markshaw, “Twitter is about real people, talking about real stuff, in real time”

This means we all talk about things we feel at that moment, so if we are in good spirits this shines through our stream and if we are in bad form we tend to express it too. What about when a client has irritated us, or we have had a bad day, or feeling blue and fancy a ‘tipple of beverage’ not forgetting we sometimes feel playful or prank-ful and express this emotion in many ways. What about debates, discussions on trending topics and our views? after all we are real people are we not?

Social platforms whether Facebook or Twitter encourage us by their very nature to be ‘real’ as do many of the users of these platforms. How many times can you recall a tweeter saying, “I’m sick of broadcasters” or “Not real people” what about the tweets that say, “Be real or get off” (get off replacing a more frank expression) There is without doubt pressure to be ‘real’ on these platforms if you want to be accepted, to fit in, to be part of a community. So if you are not being your true self, are you being real? If you are being real are you putting your business/work reputation in danger? But if you’re not, are you in danger of not being accepted? I can hear many of you now saying, “oh, who gives a (careful!) monkeys!” well there is the point! You might be surprised just who does give a monkeys (to keep it clean although untrue to myself).

I read an article today where one woman has just suffered a business loss because of her efforts to keep it ‘real’- she happened to tweet out  “I can’t wait to finish work” and “its wine o clock”. A potential and almost ‘done deal’ client decided to check out her social media streams to learn more about who she was/is and based on these tweets he pulled the project from her citing:  “I don’t want someone who is happy to finish work or has a drink problem”. The author of the article also said “I used to follow someone, who was always tweeting about how stupid his clients were.  He never named them, but would tweet what he called the stupid questions they were asking him” note  the “used to follow” he went on to say, “Is he free to do that if he wants to?  Yes (thankfully).  Would I recommend him to one of my clients or contacts, knowing he may insult them in that way?  Not a chance!”Last week I read an article by @Nikki Pilkington on the subject of Klout score and recruiting. Well actually I contributed a two liner to it when I was asked, as a recruiter would I consider the Klout scores of a candidate to influence their interview potential, in short I said no.   However, I do know of recruiters who will check out your digital footprint and allow it to influence their decision as to whether you are right for the interview/position, or who will try to determine your real understanding and passion of social media in order to fit a clients job spec,  “must have good understanding of social media and be passionate about using it and must be able to see the bigger picture and how it can impact a brand”.

Just need to say here, I DO NOT  as a recruiter for the SM environment use your digital footprints to ascertain the answers to these questions but I do ask  if you utilize any platforms and what is your understanding of it, I do ‘test’ your knowledge, experience and skills of SM platforms and tools if the job requirement demands this. I am not one for just taking a CV at face value so I will, prod you and test you whether on knowledge or technical skills where I can BUT I never judge your potential or suitability on your streams.BUT, there are those who would and unfortunately those that already DO, these people are existing clients and potential clients, they are potential employers, hell, even the organisers of SM meetups and events check out your digital footprint, as do some of your followers or linkedin connections and even your Facebook buddies and they judge you on it.

What is the answer to this issue?  It is not a new concept that perception in business is everything, the whole perception point is an accepted business strategy for any corporate vision. So do we need to be more careful with our new digital footprints and the perception we have created previously? But then if we stop being ‘ real’ are we at risk from being excluded from the communities on the platforms that we use?   Maybe ‘real’ in digital terms like everything in life is about being careful, watching what we say, what we do, the opinions we express, the stance we take on issues, presenting a front.Sort of takes the ‘fun’ out of social media don’t you think?

Maybe there would be no issue and thus no problem if those people who are checking out your digital footprint took them for what they are, a print you leave on a communication tool that is a social network as well as business one and encourages you to be real, show and express every emotion, reaction and opinion.If they themselves understand social media, work within it, supply a service around it and are passionate about using it, understand its use by others, and let’s not forget its value, surely they are the ones at fault and should be questioning their own actions and whether judgement by digital footprint is acceptable.

In real life terms and especially business, there is no getting away from the fact we as a whole community have created another way ‘to be judged’ ‘to be checked out’ and gave them the tools to do it- we just need to be careful we don’t give them ammunition to fire a weapon at us!What’s your position on this people?  would really like to know.

Article contributed by Pauleen Craknell

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Article contributed by Andrew Percival (aka. Laz) of LMT Social Media Consultancy

By now most businesses with a customer facing role will have stumbled upon the idea of a having a Twitter account. It is a great way to talk to your customers and garner feedback in a friendly and casual manner.

But not everyone has quite the hang of such a powerful tool for enhancing their brand.

Case in point;

Last week I had the misfortune to leave my Oyster card on the train to East Croydon. After ringing a friend to see if they could smuggle me theirs through the grating at the side of the station so I could get out they suggested I ask the station staff for help. Those of us who travel on our blighted rail network don’t really expect a lot from the staff so I felt I was clutching at straws in going to them for help.

But my cynicism was washed away when the well oiled machine of customer service at Balham station (where I had got off) sprung into action, managed to find my oyster card based on my vague description of where I was sitting and hold it for me so I could go to the end of the line and retrieve it.

Such fine work deserved  a reward so later that day I decided to broadcast my praise for the good people at Southern Trains  via the loudest medium I have at my disposal, Twitter.

This was easier said than done. Attempting to search for their official Twitter account only came up with two contenders, one train driver with a personal account and another who clearly wasn’t a fan of Southern Trains (and I’ll come back to that later.)

Speaking to the train driver he was pleased his colleagues had gone the extra mile and he pointed me in the direction of the official company account  although he did state “I think they’ve missed the point a little.” I gushed with laudation at Southern Trains and the next day I got a perfunctory reply.

Now, most celebrities I have on my Twitter feed rebroadcast praise from their  followers like attention starved teenagers via the retweet function. Southern Trains did not, a act I find quite surprising considering how precious unsolicited commendations are in social media.

When I receive messages of satisfaction and contentedness on the Twitter accounts I manage it feels like I’ve struck gold and I’m hammering away on the retweet button in a flash so all the world (and especially Google) can see.

One Twitter user who does understand the retweet function is the Anti-Southern Trains account. Clearly not a fan of their service this user recently ran a game amongst their followers whereby people would comment that they like Southern Trains less than whatever they found particularly disagreeable in their lives (usually Nick Clegg or some kind of genital injury!)

So, in not broadcasting good customer feedback when they get it and allowing their Twitter account to be buried underneath a torrent of (quite amusing) customer dissatisfaction I can agree with the redoubtable train driver when he said  “I think Southern Trains have really missed the point a little.”

Article contributed by Andrew Percival (aka. Laz) of LMT Social Media Consultancy

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Article contributed by @IamSilverFox (http://flavors.me/silverfox)

Recently I read an article about social media ‘breaking points’. The author was discussing issues they had had with certain social media habits. They listed issues like excessive swearing and the use of certain derogatory terms as their ‘breaking points’ i.e. the point at which they would unfollow someone on Twitter/Facebook.

Now because I am such an advocate of Twitter, its uses and limitless power in so many realms - including business, personal and social - I hate to have to do this, but the ‘breaking point’ article got me thinking. Behind these social ‘faux pas’ are the people who commit them. Therefore it’s only fair (and fun) to call the social media ‘personalities’ responsible out on their appalling behaviour. I’ve made it my duty as an active civilian within our ever expanding social media planet to make a listing of the top offending personalities. So without further ado:

The Name-Dropper Example: “Oh yes, I’ve partied with Prince Harry.”

The skinny: If you’ve met a celeb, an influential business personality or even a member of the royal family, you’re gonna want to tell people about it. It’s only natural and it’s also pretty cool for you to be able to share your experiences. I myself have boasted about meeting Pierre-Henri Raphanel (set the world’s speed record in a Bugatti Veyron SuperSport at 401km/hour). I mean, this is what social media is for, no? Well, yes, but no. There is a certain etiquette to the manner in which you should be expressing these celebrated meetings, i.e. don’t name-drop 20 times an hour. Excessive mentions will be seen as bragging and really, no-one likes a showoff. And we especially don’t care that you know someone, who knows someone, who is an extra in The Only Way is Essex.

The verdict: Tolerable when relevant, but unfollow worthy when OTT.
The Social Celeb

Example: Steven Holmes, aka, Kanye West bait. The skinny: It’s probably a little unfair of me to pinpoint Holmes as an example of this hugely irritating category seeing as it was never his intention to become the social media ‘celeb’ that he did. However, when Mr West follows you, you better be ready to wave obscurity out the door.

The issue here however is not the fame in itself, but how often, this tends to change the level and quality of interaction with the individual. Persnickety responses to follower engagement ensues, and more often than not, we have a social media Kim Kardashian on our hands, i.e. someone famous for nothing. Cue the social media ‘pack mentality’, i.e. “OMG Kanye’s following him! I NEED to follow him too!” The verdict: Highly irritating and a waste of valuable social media space when pompous and sadly, vacuous.

The Social Media ‘Royalty’ Example: Alexia Tsotsis, i.e. @alexia, journo for TechCrunch

The skinny: I love Alexia. She’s one of the funnier members of the Social Media Royal Family. However, Alexia shares her Princess of Social title with dozens of paupers. These paupers are often camouflaged as royalty via hundreds of thousands of followers.. and an original content to regurgitated rubbish ratio of 1:500. Again, the issue isn’t in the numbers, but the quality of engagement and content offerings. If you’re not at least partially generating discussion within your audience, then why are you online? Granted it isn’t humanly possible to keep up with 300 thousand different conversations (unless like some, you had a team Tweeting for you), but when engagement is limited to humorous witticisms with your colleagues or social media personalities of your own ‘calibre’ then what is the point?

The verdict: If you are part of the social scape, your success is determined via the feeling of attainability and usefulness. If you do not engage, there is no point. Unfollowed.
The Social Media Link Lover

Example: “Check this out: www.ilinktoomuch.com, and this www.ihavenooriginalcontentofmyown.com and this www.zerofreethinking.com” etc.The skinny: It is wonderful to share valuable content you’ve found online with your followers. I do this often, tweeting up to 6 or 7 links a day, with a brief description, or captivating commentary to garner attention. The problem with this social media personality is often, there are no opinions and no engagement re the links.

It’s one thing to share, but if I don’t know what you think of what you’ve tweeted then you’re as good as spam to me. What’s even worse are those links to sites with pay walls. See, why would you do that? If you’ve excited me enough to click on your link, now you’ve gone and ticked me right off because I’m curious and unsatisfied. And let’s be honest, most of us will not pay to see a single (or a dozen) articles that can probably be sourced from elsewhere for free.The verdict: Everything in moderation. Too much of anything is annoying and not enough of something is also pointless. Link moderately, discuss generously.

However, these are only MY top four picks. There is a host of other like social media personalities whom also succeed in ruffling my netizen feathers. These include ‘The Sarcastic Social Sorcerers’, ‘The Oh La La Lieutenants of Social’ and ‘The Social Media Reality Revelers’; not to mention ‘The Footy Socialite’, ‘The Social Smut Smurfs’ and many more. Have I missed any out? Which of these social media ‘breaking point’ personalities do you recognise? Which irritates you the most?

 

Article contributed by @IamSilverFox (http://flavors.me/silverfox)

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Is Social Media a fad? Could be; it depends on your definition of the word “fad”. Was email a fad? How about the Internet as a whole? Or computers?

More importantly, it is worth focussing on the fact that new products & services come along at a tremendous rate on the Internet these days. If they prove useful though, they tend to stick around. 

How can Social Media Work for You?

So what is so useful about Social Media for business right now? Here’s a summary:

• Social Media can bypasses the “gatekeeper” (e.g. a company receptionist) and allow communication directly with the decision makers. This may change in the future, but for now, it is a great benefit.
• There are millions of bloggers & “Twitterers”. They have the capability to influence others. If you encourage positive interaction through social media, your positive reputation can potentially spread virally. Social Media is effectively an online channel facilitating word of mouth referrals and recommendations.
• Over time, you are able to reduces your marketing costs without reducing your number of leads. 
• Part of the reason that costs are reduced is that your marketing efforts can be so much more focussed and deliver a higher success rate. Social Media campaigns *can* offer significantly increased conversion rates. For example, CTRs on links sent via Twitter DMs or mentions can be pretty high. Note: this does not mean that you should adopt a “SPAMMY” aproach to social media marketing and blitz 1000s of users with @ mentions. This will NOT benefit your business long-term.

Real Life Social Media Marketing Case Studies

So these are a few reasons for getting involved with Social Media for your business. But does it *really* work? The logic seems sound, but what about in practice; in the real world? Well, here are some positive examples we have experienced:

1. We conducted a localised search on Twitter for people tweeting about topics we were interested in. Over time, we followed several people using this method. We also sent personal (non-automated) @ mentions to some of them. Several 2-way conversations were started. On some occasions, we outlined what we offered (sometimes it is better to wait until you are asked - your profile should explain what you do so people you connect with can find out what you do if they really want to). A month or two after initiating these connections, one user expressed an interest in getting a quote for a project they had in their pipeline but wouldn’t be able to handle in house. This relationship has the potential for long-term benefits including repeat business.
2. We regularly tweet about what we’re up to and what technologies we use (e.g. Wordpress, Magento E-commerce etc…). We generated a fresh enquiry for a new e-commerce project via our Twitter account from one of our followers who we had met and engaged with via Twitter only. In fact, the interest was on behalf of someone they knew (word of mouth in action!).
3. We are members of several relevant groups on LinkedIn. I occasionally set aside half an hour or so to go through some of the most relevant & active ones and post comments to existing discussions and occasionally start a new conversation if I think it would be of interest to other members (e.g. a popular Blog post relevant to the group in question). One of these posts of mine generated a fresh lead from a LinkedIn member we had never communicated with before relating to the technology that we had posted about.
4. I decided it would be a good time to start a LinkedIn group related to Internet Marketing for professionals & buyers within a certain geographical region (Look us up on LinkedIn - we’re called the “Thames Valley Internet Marketing” group). I promoted this on Twitter and our Blog. I also invited a select few of my existing LinkedIn connections to join, one of which I had connected with 6+ months previous but had not managed to work together yet. The invitation to the group nudged them into asking for assistance on a potential project in their pipeline.

As your targeted follower network grows, the number of incoming leads will naturally increase also. It’s all about getting in front of people, and staying in front of people, without getting in their way and becoming annoying!

What often discourages people is the on-going effort required. This can turn out to be quite minimal though, if planned & managed properly. The most important thing is to have a plan; a strategy for your social media marketing. You will not see results over night.

Interested to learn more? Talk to us!

Tel: +44 (0)1494 259 141

Email: info@acuras.co.uk 

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Our previous article focussed on LinkedIn and how to setup your profile. This article moves away from LinkedIn and onto Twitter. So how can you use Twitter to benefit your business? Here is a high level step by step guide to getting setup and then making use of Twitter as an on-going Internet Marketing tool. 

Getting Started with Twitter

First of all, you need to register for an account on the Twitter website. First off, register your personal / company username immediately on Twitter before it becomes unavailable. The more popular a platform becomes, fewer username handles become available.

If you are completely new to Twitter, after you have registered your main Twitter account, don’t touch it. Yep, you heard me correctly! Why? If this is going to be your main Twitter account, you want to avoid looking like a complete novice in front of those already using Twitter as you could damage your reputation, leading to… yep, you’ve guessed it… lost opportunities! And we don’t like lost opportunities!

For this reason, setting up a “test” account for you to mess around with is a good idea. This relieves any pressure to understand the whole thing from Day 1. Spend some time looking around and following people to see how they use Twitter etc…

Setup Your Twitter Profile

Assuming you’re ready to roll with your main Twitter account though, you will need to setup your profile effectively. Don’t forget to:

1. Upload a profile picture (ideally your personal photo or a company logo)
2. Add an informative description. What you do, and where you do it!
3. Link to your website. Silly not to.

Grow Your Network of Twitter Followers

The next steps involve growing your network and actually tweeting. 

So how do you grow your number of followers? A good starting point is to follow people you know. Also, follow people you don’t know but who are tweeting about relevant subjects to you or who are prospective customers (e.g. people who are local to you - can be effective in connecting with new people just around the corner from you). 

You can also include your Twitter account on business cards, other stationery, email footers / signatures. Growing your network of connections on Social Media platforms is an ongoing process so have fun promoting yourself to other Twitter users! But remember, don’t SPAM and don’t force Twitter upon prople who aren’t ready for it yet!

What to Tweet?

But what should we tweet about? Twitter is all about tweeting… suprisingly! You won’t be able to grow your network very effectively if you don’t tweet anything or if you only tweet spammy sales messages. Here are some ideas of what you can tweet about:

1. Latest news within your industry
2. Useful tips & hints
3. Tasteful humour. Show that you’re human!!
4. Interesting quotes or phrases (use sparingly)
5. Be social - say hello, good morning and goodnight!
6. What you’re up to (preferably related to your profession, rather than your daily eating habits!)
7. Listen and engage - read other people’s tweets (listen) and respond with @ replies that either express gratitude or agreement with their thoughts (engage). It’s not worth picking fights on Twitter, but politely putting across your own thoughts on a topic can be a great way to start a discussion.

Hope these points proved informative. Part 4 of our “Social Media Marketing” series will be coming soon.

Want to learn more? Talk to us!

Tel: +44 (0)1494 259 141

Email: info@acuras.co.uk 

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In our previous article in this series on Social Media Marketing, we gave an overview of Social Media and the important part it plays in being found ahead of your competitors. We particularly looked at LinkedIn as a platform for growing a network and building a sustainable pot of contacts which can generate leads.

This article aims to run through some important features of your LinkedIn profile which you should be making use of. An incomplete profile can turn potential customers off and result in missed opportunities. So how can you maximise the effectiveness of your LinkedIn profile?

1. Upload a Profile Photo - This is an important part of your professional profile. It allows potential customers or employers to put a face to the name. It encourages trust and shows you to be a “real” person who takes networking and new opportunities seriously. Uploading a company logo is acceptable but really you should be using LinkedIn to forge personal relationships which can lead to new business opportunities. Admittedly, I’ve been guilty of resorting to using the Acuras logo instead of my mug-shot. This is definitely on my list of to-dos to change! LinkedIn has a whole section devoted to companies so your company logo and details can be added here instead of your personal profile.
2. Include an informative “Professional Headline” - Explain what you do (and where you do it). As an example, “Internet Marketing Consultant in High Wycombe” could be classed as a good description. Sure, it could be tweaked or added to, but it gets the message across and will benefit you when people search for “Internet Marketing in High Wycombe”. A poor example of a personal tagline would be “MD of Acuras” all on its own. This doesn’t tell viewers of your profile anything about what you do or where you do it.
3. Make use of your extended description. In the “Summary” section of your profile you can add in more details about what you do and what services you offer. Make sure you cover all of your main offerings, again, to avoid any missed opportunities. Don’t miss out your “Specialties” either.
4. Fill in details of your past experience - You should add previous jobs and experience to your profile in order to build a more complete profile. Relevant jobs and experience are preferable as they show potential buyers / employers what experience you have relevant to their needs.
5. Fill in details of your Education (past & present) - Professional qualifications can boost your personal image, and show you as academically accomplished. It can also be a nice way to build common ground with potential customers if they have been to the same schools or universities as you. You’d be amazed at how such a simple thing can act as a great starting point for a conversation and open up new opportunities.  
6. Get personal recommendations - Last time I checked, getting 100% profile completion according to LinkedIn requires at least 2 recommendations from other LinkedIn members. Obviously the LinkedIn “Profile Completeness” guage isn’t the be all and end all, but it’s a nice indicator. And just to be clear, once you get to 100% completeness according to LinkedIn, don’t stop requesting recommendations! So how do you get recommendations on LinkedIn? A good way is to recommend other professionals you know and who you feel deserve a recommendation (worthwhile clarifying this!) and likely they will reciprocate. Requesting recommendations from a few key clients with polite covering notes explaining the reason for the request can also be beneficial. 
7. Integrate your LinkedIn profile with your Twitter account & Blog - Remember that an important part of Internet Marketing is about being seen and in front of your prospects on a regular basis. Keeping your profile up to date with regular status updates and Blog posts etc… is an unobtrusive way of staying in front of those who check their LinkedIn network activity (either by email or on the LinkedIn website for example).

In the last point above I mentioned Twitter, so how exactly should Twitter play a part in your Social Media Marketing strategy. Tune in next time for Part 3 of this series to find out! Nothing quite like a cliff-hanger to end an article! I hope you enjoyed the read and you’ll pop back again soon…

Interested in learning more? Talk to us!

Tel: +44 (0)1494 259 141

Email: info@acuras.co.uk 

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Why is Search Important?

It is now a well established fact that most B2B buyers use “search” to find suppliers. Before we race ahead of ourselves though, “search” does not just mean Google! Google are incredibly important when it comes to online searches, but other platforms play a key role as well.

Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, or business networks such as LinkedIn, include search as a key component of their platform. They can all be used and abused in different ways.

If you think about the reasoning behind Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), the goal is to rank highly for relevant keyphrases so that potential customers can find you before they find your competitors. The same principle applies to the social networks. If a potential buyer searches LinkedIn for companies in your region that do what you do, can they find you? or do your competitors steal the show?

How to use Social Media as a Marketing Tool

Marketing your business effectively on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn etc… requires a tailored approach to each platform, yet the underlying principles remain the same:

- Be Helpful

- Be Seen

- Don’t spam!

How to Use LinkedIn

So how do we apply these principles to LinkedIn marketing? Well, success on LinkedIn starts with having your personal profile set up effectively. There are plenty of articles and tips out there on how to do this, so I won’t go into the details here (subject of a future blog post no doubt!). 

So once you have your profile setup, you need to start building your network. The obvious way to get this started is to connect with those you know. You can import your address book into LinkedIn and let them fire off invites to all those you wish to connect with.To grow your network beyond those you already know on Day 1 can obviously be acheived by connecting with individuals you meet in your business dealings or face to face networking. 

Expand your Network & Make New Connections

What about being able to expand your network and target new prospects without having to leave your laptop though? Anti-social? Perhaps! But let’s not forget that many (most?) successful business relationships can be sparked from an initial online encounter (of the good kind!). If you strike up new business relationships online, this doesn’t mean they have to stay online!

So how can we make these new connections? This is where LinkedIn Groups and LinkedIn Answers comes in useful. We’ll focus on LinkedIn Groups for now. LinkedIn Groups are effectively self-contained social networks within the larger “global” network of LinkedIn users. Groups are normally quite specific to a certain topic, industry or profession and allow like-minded professionals to meet and share ideas. They also allow buyers (or employers) to connect with potential suppliers (or employees). 

Be Active, Helpful & Professional

If you show yourself to be active, helpful, and well informed on what you’re talking about, prospects will be more inclined to contact you. As long as you keep on being helpful, you will have the freedom to occasionally advertise (althought I prefer the word “mention”) what you do. This can sometimes act as the nudge for someone to get in touch. But remember not to overdo it. There is no excuse for SPAM. Plastering a group with adverts for your “amazing” company will not only turn customers away, it will damage your reputation, and likely result in you getting banned from that group.

It’s all About the Right Kind of Visibility

Finishing on a positive note though, LinkedIn can offer a wealth of opportunities for making new connections and capturing new business. It’s all about visibility (being seen) and adding value (being helpful).

Remember, If you’d like some assistance with getting to grips with LinkedIn, do let us know. We can be contacted via email on info@acuras.co.uk or you can call us on 01494 259 141. We’ll be happy to help.

Next Time

We’re already looking forward to publishing Part 2 of this “Social Media Marketing” series next week. We’ll keep you posted!

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Making the business case for Social Media is an important discussion to be had, but we will leave the details of that to another post! Assuming you are on board with the Social Media business concept, how do you get your feet wet?

Well, a good starting point is to get your accounts set up across the main social networking and social media sites. You definitely need to think carefully about your social media strategy before launching into the Social Media world guns blazing! That said, it is definitely recommended to get your profiles registered across the main social media sites in order to secure your brand identity / business name.

This is particularly important if you have a well known brand. Cyber squatting doesn’t necessarily only apply to domain names, so it is wise to reserve your profiles before anyone else does! So here’s a short-list of the sites to get started on (in no particular order):

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Flickr

Obviously there are a vast number of other social networking sites, not all of which will be relevant to your business or target market. http://namechk.com gives you an idea of how many there are out there, and you can check whether your username / profile name is available across them all. Handy tool!

If you are just getting started out in Social Media, hope this article proved useful as a very basic introduction to registering your profiles. That’s just the beginning though. As mentioned before, you will need to consider your social media strategy (i.e. what you want to get out of it). Within this strategy, you will need to optimise your social media profiles, connect with other users, create positive social engagement, manage relationships with existing and potential customers, and more…

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An important part of any marketing campaign is measuring the results, also known as “Return On Investment” (ROI). The same is true of Social Media. Depending on who you are or who you represent, Social Media can work for you in different ways.

However you use Social Media, it is wise to plan ahead so that you can gauge the ROI. Let’s take the example of using Social Media to increase exposure and traffic to your website. First off, you’ll need to have visitor tracking installed on your website or Blog. Google Analytics is a useful tool for this, and it’s free (bonus!).

The other necessary element to measuring the ROI of your social media strategy is to make your links “trackable”. This is so that your analytics software (e.g. Google Analytics) will pick up on where your traffic is coming from. But hang on, wouldn’t Google Analytics pick up on where the traffic is coming from in “Referring Sites”? Unfortunately not… When it comes to Twitter and Facebook etc… a large proportion of users are using desktop and mobile apps so if they visit a link from within an app, this visit will count as a “direct” visit, which isn’t very helpful!

That’s why we need to generate “trackable” URLs. To do so, you can use the URL Builder tool available from Google here: http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=55578 Combine this will the Google URL shortener available here: http://goo.gl/ and you will have a nice and tidy, short URL that’s… trackable! Woohoo! These shortened URLs are ideal for use in tweets.

Hopefully this proved useful reading. If you wanted some more guidance on Social Media and how your business can benefit from it, get in touch today!Email us on info@acuras.co.uk or call on +44 (0)1494 259 141

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Developed under the code-name Project Titan, the introduction of “Fmail” looks likely to intensify Facebook’s war with Google.

Facebook’s email service could become a major email player, because it has more than 500 million active users. Not a bad starting point!

More information available here: http://www.zdnet.co.uk/blogs/jacks-blog-10017212/facebook-about-to-launch-ema…

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