social media pitfalls - and how to avoid them - a #begoodbesocial talk
DESCRIPTION
A talk at the Dec 2013 Be Good Be Social event where a number of social media and digital engagement pitfalls were pointed out by Weber Shandwick Digital Strategist Craig McGill (@craigmcgill) - http://uk.linkedin.com/in/craigmcgill/TRANSCRIPT
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The pitfalls of digital engagement
#begoodbesocial
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Many a social media operator is more Binks than Bond
#socialmediasanta
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@needadebitcard
@vineconference
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The biggest errors come from a lack of…
Companies thinking scheduling tweets = engagement Still far too much emphasis on broadcast instead of
engagement Not replying to people Not starting conversations A lack of goals regarding online Trying to be conversational once a month A lack of showing personality Not looking after staff and stakeholders online Events not being aligned with social media A lack of linkbait tactics A lack of planning
#worldaidsday
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The biggest errors come from a lack of…
PLAN
#clutha
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The biggest errors come from a lack of…
If you plan you cannot fail Learn to plan so you can respond quickly Make sure your tweets earn their keep and are aligned with blog
posts Think like the school edition of the local papers Put your links in the right spot…
#kanofoundation
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The biggest errors include not thinking like a punter
#epilepsyscotland
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Not knowing why people are online
#cfk
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The biggest errors come from a lack of…
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The biggest errors come from a lack of…
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The second biggest error…
http://bit.ly/1jgqqXm
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The basics…
If on Twitter, use a tool like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck for better engagement and monitoring
Keep your tweets to under 120 characters so they are easy to share
Monitor for your Twitter name and brand name Know what your keywords are and try to mention them in
the first 100 characters of everything you do, especially blogs
Tools like Google Alerts, Google Analytics and Mention.net make life a lot easier – and are free
Use Facebook Power Editor for better control over Facebook Ads
Respond quickly to people, engage lots Mobile is only going to continue to grow Bit.ly links are very useful (and you know to add a + at the end) You might even see Google+ as a LInkedIn – not Facebook
- killer
The Rucksack Project – http://omn.fb.me/1dNlutv
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“We R multimedia – we do upper and lower case”
Use video, audio, text, visuals to reach out to people
Vary your platforms of engagement
Use tools like Piktochart and Prezzi to make data more interesting and visual
Plan your content – use an editorial calendar – and be consistent. Podcasts every Wednesday for example
Vary your styles like a newspaper – have humour
Use linkbaiting tactics#missionchristmas
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Less reliance on text…
Content comes in more than one form
Will always have a role to play in SEO but people demand more now
Use videos – long and short – whitepapers, events, audio, staff training, presentations – get them all online if there’s relevance to an audience that will see you in a positive light
Always err on the side of brevity Make sure it all loads quickly –
and make sure people can share it
Use tools to see what works for others #givingtuesday
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Let’s assume some basics. You all know…
#worldaidsday
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Engage? Yes, we always do… on our blog
Don’t spend all your time on your own sites or networks
Go out there, visit Reddit, leave comments on other blogs, pass on useful information to people out there in the digital lands
Don’t wait for people to come to you
At the same time, remember: Be relevant Be useful Be helpful
@vineconference
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Oh no, I can’t justify my existence!
“Face-to-face” transaction can cost up to £11.28 whereas an equivalent contact centre episode expends £6.35 yet a similar transaction online incurs just 46 pence of cost.
Scottish Government ICT Study http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/351231/0117794.pdf
#cfk
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“We haz likes! Give me a pay rise!”
#missionchristmas
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Will 2014 see better use of The 7:2:1 rule?
For every 10 pieces of content you post… 7 should be non-
promotional and helpful to others
2 can be semi-promotional
1 can be a blatant plug That doesn’t mean you
abandon relevance. A restaurant can share recipes or cooking videos that people want
Accountants can share tax advice on donations to charities The Rucksack Project – http://omn.fb.me/1dNlutv
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Believing Content is King
http://bit.ly/1jgqqXm
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Thank you
Craig McGillDigital Strategist, Scotland/Ireland0141 333 0557 07584 385 571@[email protected]/in/craigmcgill/[email protected]
#clutha
With thanks to Stewart Argo (@sargo) Matthew Marley (@matthewmarley) Victor Brierly (@cullenskinky) Sarah Anne O’Laughlin (@saraholo) Lynsey
Wight (@lynsey_wight) Laura Sutherland (@laurafromaura) Ross McCulloch (@thirdsectorlab) for hashtags