10 small business social media marketing tips
This is a nice overview of several social media platforms and their basic business use.
10 Small Business Social Media Marketing Tips
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What happens when social media goes down?
I just had an interesting experience. I tried to login to Twitter only to find it was “over capacity?’ Anyone talking about business communication contengency plans for when social media platforms go down?
Social networking in hospitals: A nuisance and liability, or “important adjunct” to traditional communication?
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Developing a Social Media Marketing Plan
Developing a Social Media Marketing Plan – www.healthleadersmedia.com
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Social Influence Marketing Strategies & Tactics to Win Customers
Lots of helpful hints for using social media to win business.
How do you see social media marketing for hospitals progressing over the next few years and what can hospitals do now to get a leg-up on their competition?
As a professional who is actively involved in helping hospitals and health care systems develop social media programs and policies, I am happy to address this topic.
I fundamentally believe that social media will transform communications and revolutionize hospital public relations. If hospitals embrace social media in the relatively early stages, the advantages over their competition will last for years to come. The later a hospital waits to get in the game, the more work, money and time it will take to make social media effective.
To get a leg-up on the competition:
1. Treat social media as a “program,” not a project. Build a plan. Learn about the multitude of social media options – there are thousands of channels. Become well-versed in the business advantages and disadvantages of the different types of social media – video sharing, social communities, micro-blogging, virtual worlds, etc.
2. Establish your organization’s name on social media channels. There are a limited number of identities out there. If yours is taken, you may have to resort to unintuitive options. Stake your claim.
3. Educate everyone – your C-suite, your employee population and your department. Social media is new to many. It is also misunderstood. It is your job to educate everyone appropriately and build advocacy from within first.
4. Test. Don’t do everything! Experiment and discover what works and what doesn’t. Be smart and selective. Don’t post every video to YouTube or spread your messages too thin among channels. Move quickly and stay nimble.
5. Commit to reporting your findings. Treat this program with the importance it merits. If you report your success or report choices to drop channels or convey specific messaging, it will help you map your program and support your planning strategy. You will also discover that by building awareness of your fans’ comments, you will find even more support for your program (internally and externally).
6. Use with care and take the high road. Do not use these channels casually. You are representing your brand. Don’t fall into the trap of marketing to your listeners. This is a conversational medium. Never use this as a gorilla tactic to slight the competition. Always be honest and transparent.
7. Understand the business value and use of the channels. It is fundamentally different establishing your organization’s identity in social media from your own casual social use. It is a business tool with measurable value.
8. Create a policy. Don’t leave your organization unprepared. Every hospital or health care organization has to understand the proper use of social media and how an employee should represent him or herself online.
9. Be creative and sincere. The public can sniff out a professional and will quickly lock you out. Speak as a person. Ask, ask, ask what they want to know or track about your organization. The public is in charge. Remember, they are bombarded by messages, so creativity counts.
10. Jump start your program with a professional. It is a challenge to get started and maintain momentum for your social media program. Bring someone in to help you with workshops, planning and even internship programs.
Drop me an email if you’d like more information, Elizabeth L. Scott escott@ravennewmedia.com.
Social Influence Marketing
Great article about how social media is transforming the marketing landscape.
