Blog Feed: Social Media Coach

Going the Extra Mile for Your Customer

Published on 2012-05-21 13:54:19

It would seem like a no-brainer that going the extra distance to really listen to what your customer wants and delivering it is good for business, right? Still, really listening to customers is a skill that a lot of businesses seem to have forgotten. Recently I bought a trailer for my horse and my Jeep [...] > read more

Do It Yourself Social Media Audit

Published on 2012-05-13 23:04:05

We tend to create the social media presence for our businesses in an organic fashion, which is the natural way to grow relationships right? New tools pop up we just HAVE  to try, or our network of connections asks us to join a new network in order to communicate with them. The problem is; as [...] > read more

Social Media Efficiency for Nonprofits

Published on 2012-05-09 01:10:25

I talk to nonprofits about various aspects of social media just about every day. By and large people get the value of building community around their cause. They get the relatively manageable expense of leveraging social media to raise visibility for their nonprofit, find funders, advocates, and  volunteers when compared to more traditional marketing channels. [...] > read more

Getting real engagement on your Facebook page

Published on 2012-04-18 16:58:09

Many Facebook page owners are disappointed with the results they are getting from their Facebook pages. Why? Sometimes because they think they’ll put up a page and their fan base will flock to the site, dynamically post content on their own and discuss it with their peers, all without much effort from the community manager [...] > read more

What is your Reach on Facebook? (Any why you shouldn’t care)

Published on 2012-04-05 17:29:44

A client contacted me this morning, upset because her “reach” seems to be  seriously declining on Facebook. For some reason Facebook chooses Reach to be the metric graphed on the insights page, and it’s little understood, so here’s the long and the short of it.  Here’s how Facebook defines reach “The reach chart shows how many people [...] > read more

Managing Facebook Pages Just Got a Lot Easier

Published on 2012-03-29 09:00:59

Part of what I do as a social media coach is help businesses large and small manage their facebook pages.Our social media management team is frequently asked to go to a client’s event and help live-tweet, take photos or video and post them live during the event to share with their fans. Most of us [...] > read more

Would you give up your passwords for a job?

Published on 2012-03-20 21:10:51

A recent AP Newswire story tells the tale of one Justin Bassett who was asked by a hiring manager for his user name on Facebook. When she opened the site and saw that his profile was private, she asked him for his password. Bassett refused and withdrew his application, stating that he didn’t want to [...] > read more

Facebook Timeline for Pages- WAY more than a pretty cover

Published on 2012-03-13 16:16:42

We’ve mostly gotten comfy with the changes to our personal pages when Facebook went to the timeline model, but trust me, that was nothing compared to the changes you’re going to see for business. Let’s face it, the tab system with Pages never really worked, and it was hard to keep those really important posts [...] > read more

Pinterest for Business?

Published on 2012-02-20 13:35:46

I admit I’m a little behind with this post. Everybody and their cousin Sally has already written a post on Pinterest by now. Its’s the media darling of the day. Or at least it was. Then we actually read the terms of use and some people are already deleting their accounts in protest. See, it [...] > read more

Don’t be a Pest with “This Social Media Stuff”

Published on 2012-02-16 13:06:12

I spoke recently to a group of PR and marketing professionals about how to use social media in their work. One woman told me that she was trying to get the CXO’s to use social media as part of their brand awareness. She’d send them emails with links to blogs they could comment on, tweets for [...] > read more

Social Media Doesn’t Make Sales – People Do

Published on 2012-02-08 12:40:09

There’s a deep, dark secret that the social media marketers don’t want you to know. It doesn’t matter what your social media strategy is unless it includes what you expect the prospect to do after they find you through social media. You can have the biggest following on Twitter and Facebook and Google+, the best [...] > read more

#TakeBackthePink – @Komenforthecure’s social media nightmare

Published on 2012-02-04 12:59:12

I doubt you could have missed it by now, but just in case; Tuesday evening the story broke that  the Susan G Komen fund pulled support  from Planned Parenthood across the US. Rumors abound as to why they did it.Some say it was politically motivated. Komen says it was because their policies changed and because [...] > read more

Are Google+ Business Pages Replacing Facebook Pages?

Published on 2012-01-19 18:22:51

I speak a lot about Google+ as a tool for business. In fact I’ve just written a book called “Google+ for Business Tweet” and I’m presenting a second  Focus.com Roundtable  in February. So you might think my position would be that Google+ is the be-all end-all social media network for business and people should be [...] > read more

Am I participating in the SOPA strike? You betcha!

Published on 2012-01-18 01:16:32

On January 18 websites all over the net will go dark from 8AM to 8 PM, and this will be one of them. Why? Well for one, because I still can. One of the most powerful things about the internet is that it is largely not controlled by government. Sure, I’m against piracy, but not [...] > read more

How are you going to change the world in 2012?

Published on 2012-01-04 01:13:55

Maddie Grant threw down a glove challenging a number of people to participate in a meme answering the question “How are you going to change the world in 2012?” It’s a great question. I love the chaos theory metaphor called the butterfly effect. The idea is that a small, relatively insignificant act can created marked [...] > read more

Need a little Social Discipline?

Published on 2011-12-30 14:30:11

I follow almost 4,000 people on Twitter, over 1500 on Linkedin, and more on Facebook, Google+, blogs, forums, a zillion social networks, wikis and more. I get around 800 emails a day (half of them are alerts, newsletters and feed reports for my clients). I’m not bragging, there are plenty of people with more, it’s [...] > read more

15 Amazing Women Bloggers You Should Get to Know

Published on 2011-12-27 11:59:14

One of the fantastic things about the growth of social media is how it has widened our window on the world. We live in amazing times where we can create deep friendships with people we may never meet face to face, or meet people whom we’ve known through social media networks for the first time [...] > read more

How can using social media as an employee help my company?

Published on 2011-12-14 11:24:37

Let’s say you’re not looking for a job. You’re happy in your company, so why build a personal brand through social media? Why expand your Linkedin profile beyond an out-dated online resume? Here are just a few reasons building your personal brand can support the goals of your company in any industry. Professional development and [...] > read more

Should you start a Google+ page for your business?

Published on 2011-12-02 12:36:25

All my clients are asking and it’s a tough question for many. For most small businesses I’m saying no, wait a bit. Why? There are so many things business page can’t do yet. For example: A page can’t follow you until you follow it first or mention it in a post. A page doesn’t get notifications [...] > read more

Google+ and World Domination

Published on 2011-07-06 00:58:41

If you’re as into social media networks as I am you’d have to have your head in the sand to miss the launch of Google+, a shiny new social network from Google. If you weren’t lucky enough to score an invite, here’s a demo to t > read more

Google+ Tips and Tricks

Published on 2011-07-06 00:58:27

This post is meant to be a getting started guide for those of us who got an invite and are now wondering how to use Google+ .  If you’re looking for an overview of Google+ check out Part 1 of this post: Google+ and World Domination. Start with > read more

Missing DM’s in your Twitter Stream?

Published on 2011-07-02 14:24:48

If you’re getting an error message on your Twitter desktop or mobile application it’s likely because Twitter recently changed the way authorization works. All applications which log into your Twitter account have had to use OAuth since Au > read more

Could a lot of fans hurt your Facebook page?

Published on 2011-06-28 23:03:31

I know, sounds crazy right? If you’ve head me speak on social media you’ve heard me say that social media is not about numbers but about quality. This is particularly true on Facebook. Why? Because Facebook has a ranking system called  > read more

Twitter for Lawyers

Published on 2011-06-23 17:22:32

I was recently on a panel for the UC Hastings College of the Law with Doug Mandell and Michael Kernan about social media for lawyers. If you attended, please let me know what you thought of it in the comments. My segment was on Twitter. It’s a > read more

Nonprofit Webinar Series – Social Fundraising

Published on 2011-06-14 15:58:53

Whether you work with a grass roots organization or a humongous nonproft you know that social media can be an effective way to make your message more visible out there in the world. But just posting a video, creating a Twitter account or a Facebook p > read more

What does a latte have to do with a blue key?

Published on 2011-06-13 17:22:50

For the price of a grande extra-foam half-caf non-fat hazelnut latte you could change lives. Really. Five bucks can help the UNHCR support refugees around the world. You think they get lattes in a refugee camp? Nope, but there are places you could fe > read more

Do you syndicate your blog?

Published on 2011-06-08 20:44:19

Recently the topic of syndicating content came up in conversation. You see, lots of bloggers have their blog posts syndicated on other sites that aggregate content, and sometimes we write posts specific to a site just to get our names in front of mor > read more

Museum of Me? Really?

Published on 2011-06-06 18:33:50

Have you been to the Museum of Me? Created your own “museum” from your Facebook images and videos and the avatars of your friends? As a designer and developer I have to say it’s a lovely implementation of a visual display of informa > read more

Why are you following me?

Published on 2011-06-02 21:28:32

I’ve been gratified and a little puzzled by some of the people who follow me on Twitter (or any other social network for that matter). I mean, sure I hope you follow me, and a lot more people too, but sometimes a girl’s just gotta wonder > read more

Empire Avenue – Measurement of Social Influence?

Published on 2011-05-29 11:42:09

People have been telling me I’ve “just GOT to sign up for Empire Avenue“, and “it’s a true measure of the real social influence of the experts”. Bullshit. It’s a game. It’s a relatively interesting game > read more

Social Media PR Tweet

Published on 2011-05-17 14:43:51

Public Relations is a changing field and it can be a challenge to manage and control  corporate messaging in these times of lightning fast responses and broad data dissemination through social media networks. The advancement of good listening tools > read more

What’s the right balance of personal and professional in social media?

Published on 2011-05-11 08:25:33

People who want to use social media to advance their professional reputation, attract business or build a brand often struggle with deciding where the line is between personal conversations and professional ones. If you’re using social media fo > read more

The Trouble With Social Media Listening

Published on 2011-04-18 08:04:54

I say it wherever I go, whether speaking to a large group or coaching my clients one on one. Listening is the most important part of any social media strategy. Thing is, effective social media listening isn’t as intuitive as it may sound, and s > read more

Is Article Marketing the Way to Build Traffic to Your Blog?

Published on 2011-04-13 11:23:33

Maybe not anymore. In February Google rolled out an update to their algorithms likely directed at sites that duplicate content for article marketing as well as those that “spin” articles (replacing phrases and words so they aren’t e > read more

Social media- it’s not about the ratings

Published on 2011-04-08 15:58:56

I get asked a lot how one should choose a social media coach or consultant and my answer is always the same. Talk to their clients and look at their own social presence online. It’s not about how many followers they have–or their promises to > read more

Google’s new version of the Facebook Like

Published on 2011-04-06 11:01:10

Google just introduced their “plus 1” button. It hasn’t rolled out to everyone yet, but you’ll probably see it soon. If you’re in a big hurry you can sign into Google’s Experimental Labs and add this experiment to > read more

Naming your Facebook page

Published on 2011-03-31 10:38:50

Naming your page isn’t so important when you set it up.You want it to be evocative of the mission of the page, sure, but you’re probably going to change it anyway, and until you get that precious 25 followers the url is going to look some > read more

TEDx San Jose

Published on 2011-03-26 18:08:12

I’ve been inspired by TED talks for some time. How can you not be? With talks  from amazing minds like Temple Grandin, Kary Mullis, talents like Sirena Huang, Sara Kay, how could you not spend a little time each day being inspired too? So of > read more

Why aren’t there more women in open source (and what are you gonna do about it?)

Published on 2011-03-25 18:39:06

I’m a big fan of open source and as a woman who mangles a line of code here and there, I’m constantly amazed when I see how few women there are working in the field. Now, this is not one of those boo-hoo posts (you guys are MEAN!) about p > read more

9 Ways to be more visible in social media

Published on 2011-03-23 16:34:51

So you built a new blog, set up a Facebook page and started tweeting and STILL you’ve got virtually no friends? You’re not alone. It used to be that a tweet would be noticed by your friends and shared fairly quickly. That was before there > read more

Facebook- FBML or iFrames?

Published on 2011-03-01 08:37:44

Everybody is talking about the deadline on March 11 when Facebook will no longer allow users to add new FBML applications to their Facebook page. Lots of people see this as a good thing, (including me) as FBML has lots of quirks and any coder is doin > read more

The NOW Revolution-not just another book about social media

Published on 2011-02-18 10:21:46

Authors Jay Baer and Amber Naslund sent me a copy of their new book The Now Revolution for review, and although I expected a lot from these two they delivered. The book is a smart and well written guide to how businesses can change the way they think > read more

What’s a social CRM going to do for my business?

Published on 2011-02-17 12:00:06

According to Altimeter Group’s Jeremiah Owyang, social CRM will give businesses a way to really focus on listening to what their customers want and still have time to do business. In it’s most basic form the concept is to allow you to cro > read more

Facebook just got better (at least for admins)

Published on 2011-02-11 11:23:34

As you might have already heard, Facebook just rolled out the new Facebook Pages design and features as a preview last night. The goal is to make pages look more like profiles and although you still won’t have the same options as you do on your > read more

The pack attacks – or WTF were you thinking Kenneth Cole?

Published on 2011-02-04 12:41:43

By now you’ve heard of Kenneth Cole’s Twitter fiasco. This isn’t the first such blunder, nor will it likely be the last. So what lessons can we take away from this kind of thing? You are not in a vacuum. Anything you say online is i > read more

One True Fan?

Published on 2011-01-31 11:29:17

Part of my job is to try out applications, tools, networks and such so I can tell my clients if they’re worth the learning curve or a waste of their bandwidth. Frankly it’s a lot of fun and I find some really cool stuff. I also find a lot > read more

How does your brand look on social media?

Published on 2011-01-27 15:46:06

It’s a given these days that before at least 50% of the first-time meetings you’re about to have you and the person you’re meeting will have Googled each other to learn a bit more about the person. It used to be this would return a > read more

Does Social Media Mean You’ll Never Have to Cold Call Again?

Published on 2011-01-16 13:10:34

That’s a question not a statement. Here’s what I think, but I’d love to hear your perspective in the comments. Any good sales or PR person will tell you, what they do all about the relationships. You build solid relationships and th > read more

Have we got our head in the clouds about the value of online community?

Published on 2011-01-04 18:14:24

I had a very interesting conversation with a Facebook application developer today. He’s a very smart guy and we agreed and disagreed on quite a lot of things. Here’s the crux of the discussion from my point of view. If it’s not your > read more

Tapping into the mind of the crowd

Published on 2010-12-29 17:15:53

One of the beauties of social media is the opportunity to ask your network and extended networks a question and get an answer quickly. Often it comes from from people with hands on experience. If you need to know about how long an open bottle of wine > read more

I’ve Got a Job for You

Published on 2010-12-23 17:47:11

The holiday season is upon us, and the days following December 25 tends to be slow for most people. That makes it a perfect time to take stock in your online presence. When was the last time you updated your web site? What social sites did you join a > read more

What was the most important thing you learned about social media this year?

Published on 2010-12-14 10:40:49

This year flew by and the sheer number of new social networks and applications is simply stunning. Keeping on top of it all is definitely a full-time job, and for those of us who learn new stuff for fun, it’s been fantastic. I wanted to take a > read more

A Social Networks Approach to Targeting

Published on 2010-12-05 13:28:01

We tend to think of social media as either a network of friends and family or a marketing channel–with a few variations in between. Few of us choose to think about the other uses for “social listening”, or the military uses for social d > read more

You are Your Friends

Published on 2010-11-29 14:54:26

Well, at least in social media circles anyway. Here’s what I mean by that. Say you send me a friend request on a social network. If I don’t know you I’m going to go look at your profile. I’ll look to see if you seem like someb > read more

It’s Time to Give for Change Every Day

Published on 2010-11-23 12:55:24

You know what really bugs me about the holiday season? That we wait until it’s “the season of giving” to give a damn. Non-profits who serve the needy know that over the next few weeks they will suddenly see more interest in their wo > read more