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	<title>GoSocial.us : Building Brands with Social Media and Online Marketing News &#187; Marketing Resources</title>
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		<title>What’s the Appeal of Freelancing? [INFOGRAPHIC]</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/marketing-resources/what%e2%80%99s-the-appeal-of-freelancing-infographic/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/marketing-resources/what%e2%80%99s-the-appeal-of-freelancing-infographic/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:43:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing Resources]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<a target="_blank" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&#38;url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/freelancer/"></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/freelancer/&#38;title=What%E2%80%99s%20the%20Appeal%20of%20Freelancing?%20%5BINFOGRAPHIC%5D&#38;related=true&#38;style=true"></a> <a target="_blank" type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/freelancer/&#38;src=sp"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/freelancer/&#38;service=bit.ly"></a>Why would you become a <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/freelance/">freelancer</a>? Is it the allure of working in your PJs? Of not having any supervisor? Is it working from home or a nearby ca&#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div><div style="float:right;margin-bottom:10px;"><a  href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?text=sdasdasd&url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/freelancer/"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/stumbleupon.png" align="right" /></a> <a href="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis/login?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/freelancer/&title=What&#8217;s%20the%20Appeal%20of%20Freelancing?%20%5BINFOGRAPHIC%5D&related=true&style=true"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/diggme.png" align="right" /></a> <a  type="box_count" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/freelancer/&src=sp" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/themes/v7/img/share-buttons/fb.jpg" align="right" /></a> <a  href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/freelancer/&service=bit.ly"><img style="border:none;margin-right:5px;" width="51" height="61" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2011/07/14/freelancer/" align="right"/></a></div><div style="float:left;margin-bottom:10px;"><img src="http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/freelancer.jpg" alt="" title="freelancer" width="225" height="141" class="alignright size-full wp-image-678357" /></div><div style="clear:both;"></div></div><br/>Why would you become a <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/freelance/">freelancer</a>?</p><p>Is it the allure of working in your PJs? Of not having any supervisor? Is it working from home or a nearby cafe?</p><p>Whatever the reason may be for you, the <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/05/12/freelancers-life/">freelance life</a> appeals to many folks.</p><p>In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, 10.3 million workers in the U.S. (around 7.4% of the U.S. workforce) are freelancers, and companies have increased their use of freelance talent by 22% in the past three years, largely due to the influence of the Internet.</p><p><center><strong>SEE ALSO: <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/02/12/solo-freelance-design-app/">Designers: Try This Gorgeous Project Management App for Freelancers</a></strong></center></p><p>In fact, one aspect of freelancing is so attractive that companies are incorporating it into full-time work: the ability to <a href="http://mashable.com/2011/04/05/wfh-survey/">work from home</a>.</p><p>Yet another trend supporting the rise of freelancing is the <a href="http://mashable.com/follow/topics/coworking/">coworking space</a>, a relatively recent innovation that gives freelancers and others a comfortable, convenient and collaborative shared office space without the associated pressures and mundanity of, well, <em>Office Space</em>.</p><p>Here&#8217;s a look at some survey data showing just why many folks are choosing to freelance, either in addition to full-time employment or as their sole source of income.</p><p><em>Click image to see full-size version.</em></p><p><a href="http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2011/07/12/infographic-why-do-people-become-freelancers/"><img src="http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/freelance.jpg" alt="" title="freelance" width="640" height="2300" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-678367" /></a></p><p><em>Top image courtesy of <a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/mashableoffer.php" >iStockphoto</a>, <a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=454906" >alvarez</a></em></p><p>More About: <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/freelance/">freelance</a>, <a href="http://mashable.com/tag/freelancer/">freelancer</a></p><p style="margin-top:10px;"><i>For more <a href="http://mashable.com/dev-design/">Dev &amp; Design</a> coverage:</i><ul style="margin-top:0;" class="xoxo"><li><a href="http://twitter.com/mashdevdesign"  rel="nofollow">Follow Mashable Dev &amp; Design on Twitter</a></li><li><a href="http://www.facebook.com/mashable.devdesign"  rel="nofollow">Become a Fan on Facebook</a></li><li><a href="http://feeds.mashable.com/mashable/dev-design"  rel="nofollow">Subscribe to the Dev &amp; Design channel</a></li><li>Download our free apps for <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/08/02/mashable-android-app/" rel="nofollow">Android</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-mac/id412390413?mt=12" rel="nofollow">Mac</a>, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable/id356202138?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPhone</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable-for-ipad/id370097986?mt=8"  rel="nofollow">iPad</a></li></ul></p>
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		<title>How to Calculate Social Media Costs</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/social-media/how-to-calculate-social-media-costs/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/social-media/how-to-calculate-social-media-costs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing Resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<p>Do you know what your firm’s social media marketing efforts really cost? Before you assume that <a href="http://heidicohen.com/can-social-media-save-your-business-money/">social media can save you money</a>, it’s critical to determine what you’re really paying for your social media marketing especially as budget season approaches and social media efforts expand. 7 Social media marketing activities and 10 related social media expenses are examined.</p>
 <a href="http://heidicohen.com/how-to-calculate-social-media-costs/">Continue reading <span>&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<h2>10 Social Media Marketing Costs</h2>
<p><a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/Calculate-social-media-costs.jpg#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6258" title="Calculate-social-media-costs" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/Calculate-social-media-costs-223x300.jpg" alt="" width="223" height="300" /></a>Do you know what your firm’s <a href="http://heidicohen.com/what-is-social-media/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media</a> marketing efforts really cost? Before you assume that <a href="http://heidicohen.com/can-social-media-save-your-business-money/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media can save you money</a>, it’s critical to determine what you’re really paying for your social media marketing especially as budget season approaches and social media efforts expand.</p>
<p>While social media marketing expense sounds like an easy task to hand off to your financial team, it’s not, because many of your social media needs and related costs aren’t obvious or may have been integrated into other budget items last year. As research shows when companies gain experience and expand their social media efforts, the expenses associated with social media marketing increase.<span id="more-6256"></span></p>
<h3>7 Social media marketing activities</h3>
<p>From a marketing perspective, here’s a timeline of social media activities. There are social media marketing expenses at each step of the process.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Brand monitoring</strong>. Regardless of whether your firm is active on social media platforms or not, it’s critical to have brand monitoring in place to ensure that your team is on top of any changes or potential issues in your market that may affect your firm or one of your competitors. Brand monitoring also requires a <a href="http://heidicohen.com/17-social-media-guidelines-every-company-needs/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">crisis management plan</a> in place to ensure that your company can react quickly to adverse events.</li>
<li><strong>Social media content</strong>. Most social media marketing runs on a continual stream of great content, in a variety of formats such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs and YouTube, to attract participants and drive engagement.</li>
<li><strong>Social media promotion</strong>. Your social media marketing implementation must be promoted or you’ll find that you’re talking to yourself. This can involve third party media and creative.</li>
<li><strong>Social media participation</strong>. For businesses, this means having staff who are able to connect with your target audience and the public. An intern who gets Facebook isn’t capable of understanding your firm and your prospects needs.</li>
<li><strong>Social media conversion</strong>. After you’ve engaged with prospects via social media, you still need to convert these people to customers. This requires additional marketing.</li>
<li><strong>Post purchase support</strong>. After the product sale, customers may need help using your product. Here’s where experienced employees and customer service perople are required to help customers put your products together and use them correctly.</li>
<li><strong>Social media analytics</strong>. These tools are needed to assess your firm’s progress towards its goals.</li>
</ol>
<h3>10 Types of social media marketing expense</h3>
<p>Once you determine where you’re incurring social media marketing related costs, you need to categorize and assess how much you’re spending.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Brand monitoring</strong>. Expenses include software and tracking fees in addition to headcount to analyze and react to the results.</li>
<li><strong>People.</strong> Include fully loaded salary and related overhead for dedicated social media personnel. Don’t forget headcount to monitor social media, create content, respond to social media interactions, and customer service.</li>
<li><strong>Content</strong>. As a core driver of social media engagement, you constantly need to create new engaging <a href="http://heidicohen.com/content-marketing-purchase-process/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media content</a> to support the entire purchase process. Even if this content is created internally, it can require additional editorial and copy editing support.</li>
<li><strong>Social media platforms</strong>. While social media networks are free for individuals, there are costs for expanded business executions. The costs can vary based on the platform and the size of your implementation.</li>
<li><strong>Support media</strong>. Beyond the use of internal media such as emailings, website and offline promotional materials, third party media and advertising creative to drive traffic to your social media executions may be needed.</li>
<li><strong>Marketing.</strong> Creative for internal media follow up, tailored landing pages and search marketing are needed to convert social media prospects to purchase from your firm.</li>
<li><strong>Agencies. </strong>You may use one or more marketing agencies, whether they’re specialized consultants, general advertising agencies, boutique social media marketing agencies, or content specialists. Due to the specialized nature of social media marketing, it’s not unusual to use more than one agency. But don’t overlook the cost for managing this.</li>
<li><strong>Technology</strong>. Since social media is a technology platform, assume you’ll need internal technology support. While these resources may not be dedicated to social media, their time will be charged to your department. Among the costs are supporting development (along with the on-going need to update your website and/or blog), software support including additional server capacity and incremental bandwidth (at least on an as-needed basis.)</li>
<li><strong>Analytics.</strong> While you may be able to track your social media marketing efforts with your existing web analytics, you’ll probably need some modifications to capture the additional tracking. Some organizations may require additional software and headcount.</li>
<li><strong>Complexity.</strong> While difficult to assess in terms of direct costs, as you add additional elements to your marketing mix, there’s more coordination and overhead needed to ensure everything works well together.</li>
</ol>
<p>Regardless of how you assess your social media marketing costs, one thing’s for certain. These costs are real and increase as your firm gets more experienced in their use of social media.</p>
<p>What are your experiences in tracking social media expenses? Are there any other costs that you’d include on this list?</p>
<p>Happy marketing,<br />
Heidi Cohen</p>
<hr />Here are some related articles of interest.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/5-social-media-adoption-indicators/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">5 Indicators of social media adoption</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/how-to-guarantee-your-social-media-roi-is-zero/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">How to guarantee your social media ROI is zero.</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/seattlemunicipalarchives/3347281230/sizes/m/in/photostream/" >Seattle Municipal Archives</a> via Flickr</p>
<p><small><cite><a href="http://heidicohen.com/how-to-calculate-social-media-costs/" rel="bookmark">How to Calculate Social Media Costs</a></cite> – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on <a href="http://heidicohen.com">Heidi Cohen</a> on July 7, 2011.<br />
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		<title>How Actionable Marketing Stacks Up (against other forms of marketing)</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/marketing-resources/how-actionable-marketing-stacks-up-against-other-forms-of-marketing/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/marketing-resources/how-actionable-marketing-stacks-up-against-other-forms-of-marketing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:00:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing Resources]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<p>How does actionable marketing compare to other forms of marketing?<a href="http://heidicohen.com/is-your-marketing-actionable/">Actionable marketing</a> refers the ability to persuade prospects, customers and the public to engage with your brand, product and/or firm. These three elements distinguish actionable marketing from other types of marketing. Read further for comparison chart.</p>
 <a href="http://heidicohen.com/how-actionable-marketing-stacks-up/">Continue reading <span>&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<p><strong><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6251" title="stack-of-cards" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/stack-of-cards-e1309923151924-228x300.jpg" alt="" width="160" height="210" />How does actionable marketing compare to other forms of marketing? <a href="http://heidicohen.com/is-your-marketing-actionable/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Actionable marketing</a></strong> refers the ability to persuade prospects, customers and the public to engage with your brand, product and/or firm. These three elements distinguish actionable marketing from other types of marketing.<span id="more-6245"></span></p>
<ol style="clear: both;">
<li>Incorporates a <a href="http://heidicohen.com/the-one-feature-your-social-media-marketing-must-have-2/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">call-to-action</a> to overcome prospect and customer inertia.</li>
<li>Engages prospects and customers to connect with the company in some form.</li>
<li>Yields measurable results towards a business goal.</li>
</ol>
<p>Actionable marketing encompasses direct marketing. While direct marketing focuses on generating leads and sales, actionable marketing produces a wider array of prospect, customer and fan interactions that aid branding, sales process, post-purchase support and advocacy. Actionable marketing overlaps with social media marketing in terms of its proactive engagement with prospects, customers and fans. While actionable marketing can enhance branding, it’s a by-product of its engagement rather than a goal.</p>
<h3>How actionable marketing stacks up</h3>
<p>Here’s how actionable marketing, brand marketing, direct marketing and social media marketing stack up against an array of attributes.<a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/marketing-attributes-compared-e1309922532767.png#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6249" title="marketing attributes compared" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/marketing-attributes-compared-e1309922532767.png" alt="" width="575" height="841" /></a></p>
<p>Actionable marketing is distinguished by its ability to cost effectively drive measurable results. While a wide range of products can use actionable marketing, it’s important to bear in mind that most mass-market products still require branding that utilizes mass media.</p>
<p>Do you have any other elements that you’d add to this analysis? If so, please include them in the comment section below.</p>
<p>Happy marketing,<br />
Heidi Cohen</p>
<hr />Here are some related articles.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/marketing-strategy/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">What is marketing strategy?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/marketing-definition/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">72 Marketing definitions</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/marketing-elements/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Marketing elements</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/what-marketing-is-not/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">What marketing is not</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/4445884908" >DieselDemon</a> via Flickr</p>
<p><small><cite><a href="http://heidicohen.com/how-actionable-marketing-stacks-up/" rel="bookmark">How Actionable Marketing Stacks Up (against other forms of marketing)</a></cite> – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on <a href="http://heidicohen.com">Heidi Cohen</a> on July 6, 2011.<br />
<br />
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		<title>Is Your Social Media Marketing Myopic?</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/social-media/is-your-social-media-marketing-myopic/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/social-media/is-your-social-media-marketing-myopic/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:00:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing Resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heidicohen.com/?p=6231</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>While <strong>social media</strong> remains hot and marketers continue to move their budgets into social media, it doesn’t mean that they’re doing it right. Many marketers shortsightedly approach social media like it’s another push medium where they can blast their promotional messages. Instead of yielding results, this underscores the marketers’ myopic approach. Does your firm practice any of these five <strong>myopic social media marketing</strong> tactics?  If so, your social media marketing needs adjustment.</p>
 <a href="http://heidicohen.com/is-your-social-media-marketing-myopic/">Continue reading <span>&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<h2>5 Ways to Improve Your Social Media Marketing</h2>
<p><a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/Share-Knowledge-e1309836377679.jpg#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6233" title="Share-Knowledge" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/Share-Knowledge-e1309836377679-184x300.jpg" alt="" width="184" height="300" /></a>While <strong><a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-definition/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media</a></strong> remains hot and marketers continue to move their budgets into social media, it doesn’t mean that they’re doing it right. Many marketers shortsightedly approach social media like it’s another push medium where they can blast their promotional messages. Instead of yielding results, this underscores the marketers’ myopic approach.</p>
<h3>How to tell your social media marketing is shortsighted</h3>
<p>Does your firm practice any of these five <strong>myopic social media marketing</strong> tactics?  If so, you&#8217;re practicing <a href="http://heidicohen.com/improve-social-media-strategy/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">spaghetti social media</a> and your marketing needs adjustment.<span id="more-6231"></span></p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Don’t consider your audience’s needs or interests.</strong> One of social media’s unstated rules is the focus on the community and the greater good. If you’re only thinking about how to promote the next product or sale, you’ve missed the point of social media.</li>
<li><strong>Use social media as promotional channel. </strong>Do you continually place ads and promotional messages on social media platforms? Do you wonder why prospects stop following your organization? On social media platforms, you should share information that supports your community. Send ten messages about the community for every one about your company.</li>
<li><strong>Have <a href="http://heidicohen.com/twitter-auto-dm-social-media-fail/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">automated DMs</a></strong><strong>. </strong>Like other promotional content, these messages focus on your company, not the recipient. They’re the social media equivalent of spam. If in doubt, don’t use them. Be aware that some social media participants consider automated DMs as an early indicator that there’s a problem.</li>
<li><strong>Neglect to link to others in your social media content</strong> including blogs. Links are a service to your readers and social media participants. They show you’re engaged and think about what others are saying.</li>
<li><strong>Use other people’s content without regard for IP rights</strong>. While creating and distributing original <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-content-format/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">content</a> is critical to supporting your social media efforts, it’s not only wrong to take other people’s content and present it as your own, it’s illegal. Just because content is available online, doesn’t mean it can be used without permission, attribution or fee. (Don’t think people won’t know. Remember, the collective public is smarter than you are.)</li>
</ol>
<h3>How to get your social media on the right track</h3>
<p>The one element these shortsighted tactics all have in common is that they’re inwardly focused on your firm and your needs, not those of your audience or the community as a whole. Change your firm’s approach to social media by stripping away your preconceived notions. Start doing things differently by engaging with your community and the public. Here are five suggestions, each of which can act as a starting point to help you see where your business should be headed.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Acknowledge your community</strong>. Show that you care about your customers and the public. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Use community boards, comment on prospect and customer pages and/or blogs, or  provide a forum where customers can show off their creativity.</li>
<li><strong>Help prospects and customers.</strong> Use social media platforms to give prospects and customers another entryway to your firm. Many companies use Twitter as another customer service option. This requires customer service representatives who can communicate effectively in short written format.</li>
<li><strong>Provide useful content. </strong>Contribute to an informational blog, create useful infographics, or give away a free e-book. The key is to tailor your content to meet your community’s needs. If you’re not sure what they want, ask them.</li>
<li><strong>Support your community. </strong>Curate a Twitter chat, provide a webinar or host a meetup. For example, <a href="http://hubspot.com" >Hubspot</a> provides valuable information in its webinars.</li>
<li><strong>Ask your community how you can better satisfy their needs.</strong> Starbucks has a community board to collect suggestions where the community votes on them.</li>
</ol>
<p>Accept that social media’s here to stay. It’s not a short-term trend that’s going to be replaced by next year’s hot new thing. Rather it’s a fundamental change in how we interact via connected devices. Therefore, myopic marketing methods won’t make anymore, even if you don’t see what you’re missing.</p>
<p>Do you have seen any other tactics or examples of this type of behavior? If so, please include it in the comment section below.</p>
<p>Happy marketing,<br />
Heidi Cohen</p>
<hr />Here are some related articles.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/why-social-media-marketing-does-not-work/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Why your social media doesn&#8217;t work</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/10-things-your-boss-doesn%E2%80%99t-know-about-social-media-marketing/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">10 Things your boss doesn’t know about social media</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/do-your-corporate-communications-miss-the-mark/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Do your corporate communications miss the mark?</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/choconancy/3197511024/" >Choconancy1</a> via Flickr (Note: Read the photograph!)</p>
<p><small><cite><a href="http://heidicohen.com/is-your-social-media-marketing-myopic/" rel="bookmark">Is Your Social Media Marketing Myopic?</a></cite> – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on <a href="http://heidicohen.com">Heidi Cohen</a> on July 5, 2011.<br />
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<a href="http://twitter.com/home/?status=Is%20Your%20Social%20Media%20Marketing%20Myopic?:%20http://heidicohen.com/?p=6231">Tweet This</a><br />
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		<title>Does Your Social Media Marketing Set Off Fireworks?</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/social-media/does-your-social-media-marketing-set-off-fireworks/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/social-media/does-your-social-media-marketing-set-off-fireworks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Jul 2011 10:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing Resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<p>Fireworks are symbolic of the Fourth of July. They commemorate the rockets' red glare and the bombs bursting in air when we defended our freedom as Americans. <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-definition/" target="_parent">Social media</a> marketing has a lot in common with Independence Day. Social media is a move away from traditional media and communications. In many organizations, however, the use of social media causes management to send up severe warnings. Here's seven ways to make your social media cause fireworks.</p>
 <a href="http://heidicohen.com/does-your-social-media-marketing-set-off-fireworks/">Continue reading <span>&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<p><a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/Fourth-of-July-Fireworks-e1309746363238.jpg#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6218" title="Fourth of July Fireworks" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/Fourth-of-July-Fireworks-e1309746363238-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="240" /></a>Fireworks are symbolic of the Fourth of July. They commemorate the rockets&#8217; red glare and the bombs bursting in air (which actually was the War of 1812) when we defended our freedom as Americans.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-definition/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed" >Social media</a> marketing</strong> has a lot in common with Independence Day. Social media is a move away from traditional media and communications. In many organizations, however, the use of social media causes management to send up severe warnings.<span id="more-6216"></span></p>
<p>Social media provides engaging interactive platforms for users to create, share and comment on content, in a variety of formats including text, video, photographs, audio, PDF and PowerPoint presentations. It is a means for participants to communicate on a <a href="http://heidicohen.com/does-your-medium-match-your-marketing-message/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many basis</a> with their social graph, other users and the public in real time or asynchronously. As a result the speed and breadth of information dissemination is enhanced with social media.</p>
<h3>How does your social media marketing set off fireworks</h3>
<p>As a marketer, it’s useful to think about how your social media marketing moves your prospects and customers the way fireworks do.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Get family and friends together</strong>. With social media, it’s useful to have a special group you can call your own, some refer to this as a <a href="http://heidicohen.com/how-to-grow-your-social-media-tribe/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media tribe.</a></li>
<li><strong>Invite neighbors to join you. </strong> Use meetups and other forms of social media gatherings such as Twitter chats. Remember, these events can occur both on and off-line</li>
<li><strong>Wave your flag. </strong>Integrate your brand into your content. As a good example, look at Google which modifies its logo for major (and many minor) holidays.</li>
<li><strong>Offer holiday savings</strong>. In today’s marketplace, what’s a holiday without a jumbo sale? Give customers special promotions to entreat them to engage with your firm on a social media platforms as well as to shop in your online and brick and mortar stores.</li>
<li><strong>Provide entertainment </strong>regarding your products or other company stories. People love to be entertained. Use a variety of social media videos and meetups.</li>
<li><strong>Recognize members of your community</strong>. Give your audience members their 15 seconds of fame. Oreos does this with their weekly photographs on Facebook.</li>
<li><strong>Strut your stuff</strong>. Use social media platforms like Flickr and YouTube to share your content. Invite the public to join in the parade.</li>
</ol>
<h3>3 Tactics for social media marketing problem prevention</h3>
<p>Just like real Fourth of July events and fireworks, care is needed so that your social media marketing doesn’t backfire. To this end, think like a boy scout and be prepared for these three problems.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Have guidelines and guards to keep order</strong>. In social media terms, this includes brand monitoring, <a href="http://heidicohen.com/create-social-media-guidelines/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media guidelines</a> and <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-contingency-plan/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">contingency </a>planning. It’s also useful to consider <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media%E2%80%99s-social-responsibility/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media’s social responsibility</a>. The goal is not to restrict people from having fun but rather to ensure that all activity is safe.</li>
<li><strong>Help the public with an information center.</strong> From a business perspective it’s important to be able to answer your prospects’ and the public’s inquiries in a timely manner. This means manning all communications channels with people who are experienced and have the appropriate skills and resources.</li>
<li><strong>Create a first aid center</strong>. While no one wants accidents to happen, it’s important to be ready to respond when needed. To this end, a <a href="http://heidicohen.com/17-social-media-guidelines-every-company-needs/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">crisis management plan</a> is useful. Remember the plan by itself isn’t effective unless those involved are well trained.</li>
</ol>
<p>When it comes to social media marketing, every day should be a day that you celebrate like the Fourth of July.</p>
<p>Do you have any suggestions to add to this list?</p>
<p>Happy marketing,<br />
Heidi Cohen</p>
<hr />Here are some related articles:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/7-ways-to-use-social-media-beyond-conventional-marketing/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">How to use social media beyond marketing</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/do-your-corporate-communications-miss-the-mark/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Do your corporate communications miss the mark?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/real-time-pr-communications-checklist/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Real-time PR Checklist</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/frted/5898907262/sizes/m/in/photostream/" >Bobosh_t </a>via Flickr</p>
<p><small><cite><a href="http://heidicohen.com/does-your-social-media-marketing-set-off-fireworks/" rel="bookmark">Does Your Social Media Marketing Set Off Fireworks?</a></cite> – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on <a href="http://heidicohen.com">Heidi Cohen</a> on July 4, 2011.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/home/?status=Does%20Your%20Social%20Media%20Marketing%20Set%20Off%20Fireworks?:%20http://heidicohen.com/?p=6216">Tweet This</a><br />
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		<title>How to Super-size Your Blog Audience</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/marketing-resources/how-to-super-size-your-blog-audience/</link>
		<comments>http://gosocial.us/marketing-resources/how-to-super-size-your-blog-audience/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 Jul 2011 10:00:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing Resources]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<p>Every blogger wants to super-size their blog reach as quickly as possible so that it stands out in its category. For many bloggers, the challenge is getting the blog the special attention it deserves in a way that sets it apart from the rest of the blogosphere. To this end, it’s critical to have strong blog content that’s created on a regular basis, not just when the spirit moves you. Here are twelve ways to help you super-size your blog audience.</p>
 <a href="http://heidicohen.com/how-to-super-size-your-blog-audience/">Continue reading <span>&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<h2>12 Ways to Expand Your Blog Readership</h2>
<p><a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/Super-Size.jpg#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6210" title="Super Size" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/Super-Size-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a>Every blogger wants to super-size their blog reach as quickly as possible so that it stands out in its category. For many bloggers, the challenge is getting the blog the special attention it deserves in a way that sets it apart from the rest of the blogosphere. To this end, it’s critical to have strong blog content that’s created on a regular basis, not just when the spirit moves you.<span id="more-6205"></span></p>
<p>Here are twelve ways to help you super-size your blog audience.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Create tweetable blog post headlines</strong>. To build your blog audience, increase each blog post’s readership by creating <a href="http://heidicohen.com/killer-blog-post-titles/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">killer post titles</a>. Since you want prospects to read and share your posts, however, don’t make your titles tell the complete story without further reading.</li>
<li><strong>Provide specialized information. </strong>High quality content such as white papers, e-books, research and infographics provide must-have value to your audience. Enhance the professionalism of your content offering with strong graphics.</li>
<li><strong>Create must-read lists</strong>. These inventories covering a specific category attract readers. If your list includes high profile experts with large followings in your field, they’ll spread the word because it makes them look good. (Here&#8217;s a list of<a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-marketing-resources/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"> social media readings</a>.)</li>
<li><strong>Write guest posts</strong>. To maximize the impact on your blog reach, write for the best blogs in your category. The goal is to give away your best content to attract more readers to your blog. It’s not about linking back to your blog. (For more insights, here’s how to be a <a href="http://heidicohen.com/guest-blogging-don%E2%80%99t-forget-what-mom-taught-you/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">guest blogger</a> and here’s how to set up <a href="http://heidicohen.com/guest-blogging-policies/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">guest blogging policies</a>.)</li>
<li><strong>Throw a contest</strong>. Get people’s attention with a contest. To be effective in building your audience, the prize and the related participation has to be worthwhile.</li>
<li><strong>Build a </strong><strong><a href="http://heidicohen.com/how-to-grow-your-social-media-tribe/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media tribe</a></strong>. Having a loyal group of followers with whom you interact can build your blog audience.</li>
<li><strong>Organize social media events</strong>. Social media events like <a href="http://heidicohen.com/twitter-chat-guide/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">twitter chats</a>, LinkedIn discussion groups and Meetups gather like-minded individuals. Some of these events can have sizeable audiences and built-in exposure.</li>
<li><strong>Leverage other people’s audience and/or housefile.</strong> Make a presentation to a related audience where the blogger or firm promotes you and links to your blog. Present useful content to engage the audience including webinars, presentations and white papers.</li>
<li><strong>Get your content included in third party newsletters and other publications. </strong>When newsletters like <a href="http://whosbloggingwhat.com/">Who’s Blogging What</a> and <a href="http://www.smartbrief.com/socialmedia/">Smartbrief for Social Media</a> include your blog post, they often entice readers with a short blurb.</li>
<li><strong>Have your blog posts mentioned and linked to in other people’s blog posts</strong>. It’s bad form to ask bloggers to link to your blog to help grow your blog. Rather you must have information and/or content that’s a resource for their readers. Further, these bloggers may expect you to reciprocate on your blog, Again, a single mention may not do anything. The goal is to build the number of blogs that mention your blog to send traffic directly and help your search marketing.</li>
<li><strong>Get high profile individuals to recommend your blog posts.</strong> A mention from a respected source can increase an article’s performance. To get significant blog audience growth, you must post this type of content regularly. Otherwise, it’s a one-time spike in traffic that’s gone as quickly as it arrived.</li>
<li><strong>Acquire blog bling </strong>in the form of badges obtained through hard work and exceptional content in your category.  Since they’re a sign that your blog is well rated across a number of attributes and assessed by a committee, these lists attract readers, especially when the new listings are announced.</li>
</ol>
<p>All of these suggestions require strong content to entice readers. Therefore, decide which of these suggestions are best for your blog content, category and audience.</p>
<p>Do you have any other suggestions for super-sizing your blog audience? If so, please include them in the comments section below.</p>
<p>Happy marketing,<br />
Heidi Cohen</p>
<hr />Here are some related articles.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/blog-checklist/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">60 Point Blog Checklist</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/does-your-blog-pass-the-10-second-test/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Does your blog pass the 10 second test?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/blog-popular/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">How to Make Your Blog Popular</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/3059349393/3445200894/sizes/m/in/photostream/" >Emilio Labrador</a> via Flickr</p>
<p><small><cite><a href="http://heidicohen.com/how-to-super-size-your-blog-audience/" rel="bookmark">How to Super-size Your Blog Audience</a></cite> – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on <a href="http://heidicohen.com">Heidi Cohen</a> on July 3, 2011.<br />
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<a href="http://twitter.com/home/?status=How%20to%20Super-size%20Your%20Blog%20Audience:%20http://heidicohen.com/?p=6205">Tweet This</a><br />
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		<title>How Do You Expand Your Blog Reach? (HINT: Email)</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/marketing-resources/how-do-you-expand-your-blog-reach-hint-email/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 02 Jul 2011 10:00:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing Resources]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<p>What blogger doesn’t want to expand theirblog audience? While it’s not sexy, my one word answer is <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-runs-on-email/">email</a>. Before you skip off to another article, bear in mind that to entice people to read your content you must offer them options regarding when they want to read, where they want to read it, and what format and/or device they use to read. To this end, email, the <a href="http://heidicohen.com/mobile-marketing-must-have-facts/">number one activity on smartphones</a>, is a great option since your audience always has one in reach and uses it to consume content as a filler activity in spare, otherwise wasted time.</p>
 <a href="http://heidicohen.com/email-expand-blog-reach/">Continue reading <span>&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<h2>3 Forms of Blog-related Email [Chart]</h2>
<p><a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/reach.jpg#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6199" title="reach" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/reach-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" /></a></p>
<div>
<p>What blogger doesn’t want to expand their blog audience? While it’s not sexy, my one word answer is <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-runs-on-email/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">email</a>. Before you skip off to another article, bear in mind that to entice people to read your content you must offer them options regarding when they want to read, where they want to read it, and what format and/or device they use to read. To this end, email, the <a href="http://heidicohen.com/mobile-marketing-must-have-facts/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">number one activity on smartphones</a>, is a great option because your audience always has access and uses email to consume content as a filler activity in spare, otherwise wasted time.</p>
</div>
<p><span id="more-6195"></span></p>
<p>While I’d love to give you a magic formula to build your audience, the truth is that you don’t want visitors to come once, <a href="http://heidicohen.com/does-your-blog-pass-the-10-second-test/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">stay less than ten seconds</a>, and never return because this doesn’t build a sustainable traffic model. Email is the perfect answer for this. It avoids the one-hit-wonder syndrome by creating an on-going content distribution channel.</p>
<h3>3 Blog-related ways to use email</h3>
<p><strong>Blog-related emails</strong> come in three different varieties. Choose the one that aligns best with your goals.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Deliver blog posts.</strong> Distribute your blog content through an alternative channel as it’s published. A third party product like Feedburner can handle emailings as well as RSS feeds.</li>
<li><strong>Publish a newsletter</strong>. If your goal is to build relationships with potential customers, use an email newsletter to provide an alternative communications vehicle for readers and prospects. Since this type of emailing does more than just distribute your blog posts, include original content that’s targeted to your email audience as well as links to your blog posts and other interesting articles from around the web. Integral to this initiative is building your house file of email addresses.</li>
<li><strong>Sell your products, </strong>particularly information-based offerings. If your goal is to engage prospects and get them actively involved in your purchase funnel, you need to create a series of related emails that are sent in sequence after an initial trigger event. These communications are created so that they relate to each other and are delivered in a timed fashion from the point customers sign up. There are related sales funnel pages and analytics needed to help hone your offer.</li>
</ol>
<p><a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/blog-related-email-chart-e1309568916532.png#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6196" title="blog related email chart" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/blog-related-email-chart-e1309568916532.png" alt="" width="590" height="285" /></a></p>
<p>At a minimum, offer blog visitors the option of registering for your content via email and make sure that the registration buttons on your blog stand out and have a strong <a href="http://heidicohen.com/the-one-feature-your-social-media-marketing-must-have-2/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">call-to-action</a>. Remember that some readers may use your emailings as a way to get back to your blog as well as a tickler that they liked your content.</p>
<p>Do you have any other suggestions that you’d add to this list? If so, what are they?</p>
<p>Happy marketing,<br />
Heidi Cohen</p>
<hr />Here are other related articles of interest.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/blog-traffic-post-audience/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">How to get the most from each post</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/blog-checklist/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">60 Point Blog Checklist</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/blog-checklist/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"></a><a href="http://heidicohen.com/increase-blog-traffic/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Help no one reads my blog!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/increase-blog-traffic/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"></a><a href="http://heidicohen.com/why-you-aren%E2%80%99t-getting-blog-traffic-2/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">29 Reasons you’re not getting traffic</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kelvin_luffs/3457687245/" >Kelvin_Luffs</a> via Flickr</p>
<p><small><cite><a href="http://heidicohen.com/email-expand-blog-reach/" rel="bookmark">How Do You Expand Your Blog Reach? (HINT: Email)</a></cite> – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on <a href="http://heidicohen.com">Heidi Cohen</a> on July 2, 2011.<br />
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		<title>Does Your Blog Have Guests With Benefits?</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/marketing-resources/does-your-blog-have-guests-with-benefits/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:00:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Marketing Resources]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[<p>As you prepare for the long July 4th weekend away that’s often filled with guests, it’s a good time to focus on guest blogging. Just as beach and weekend homeowners get guest requests, so do popular blogs. The reason is simple: location, location, location!</p>
<p>Whether it’s a vacation home or a popular blog, it’s where everyone wants to be and be seen.While it’s great to have people visit, you don’t want to feel like your vacation home is a hotel where you’re the maid. The same applies to guest writers on your blog. To this end, create a set of guidelines posted on your blog to set parameters for guest authors based on your blog topic, brand and goals.</p>
 <a href="http://heidicohen.com/guest-blogging-policies/">Continue reading <span>&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<h2><a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/guest-relations-e1309495914737.jpg#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6189" title="guest-relations" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/guest-relations-e1309495914737-300x177.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="177" /></a>13 Guest Blogging Policies</h2>
<p>As you prepare for the long July 4th weekend away that’s often filled with guests, it’s a good time to focus on guest blogging. (as well as making sure that <a href="http://heidicohen.com/blog-summer/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">you&#8217;ve summerize</a> your blog!) Just as beach and weekend homeowners get guest requests, so do popular blogs. The reason is simple: location, location, location! Whether it’s a vacation home or a popular blog, it’s where everyone wants to be and be seen.<span id="more-6185"></span></p>
<h3>Why invite guest bloggers? 5 Blog benefits</h3>
<p>From a blog owner’s perspective, here are five benefits guest bloggers bring to your blog. (Here’s an outline of the <a href="http://heidicohen.com/guest-blogging-don%E2%80%99t-forget-what-mom-taught-you/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">benefits for guest bloggers</a>)</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Guest bloggers reduce your content creation</strong>. This is particularly useful during busy periods or vacation(s).</li>
<li><strong>Guest bloggers offer a different perspective on topics important to your audience</strong>. This is useful for dialog on your blog.</li>
<li><strong>Guest bloggers present information that’s not part of your expertise</strong>. Using guest experts shows that you’re in the know and reflects well on you.</li>
<li><strong>Guest bloggers attract new readers to your blog. </strong>Guest bloggers may bring their followers and/or new readers interested in the additional content.</li>
<li><strong>Guest bloggers promote your blog to their readers</strong>. Ask guests to let their friends and followers know about their post on your site.</li>
</ol>
<h3>13 Guest guidelines</h3>
<p>While it’s great to have people visit, you don’t want to feel like your vacation home is a hotel where you’re the maid. The same applies to guest writers on your blog. To this end, create a set of guidelines posted on your blog to set parameters for guest authors based on your blog topic, brand and goals.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Topic. </strong>Who chooses the post topic, the writer or the blog owner? If the writer decides, does the topic need to be approved? Does blog owner need to see the entire post before it’s accepted? Do you require additional proof of writing ability such as other guest posts, columns and/or blog?</li>
<li><strong>Post length</strong>. How long do you want guest posts to be? Length should be similar to the rest of your posts. You don’t want a 400 word post if your average post is 700 words.</li>
<li><strong>Timing</strong>. How far in advance of the publication date should the post be submitted? Don’t overlook the time needed to edit and add technical elements.</li>
<li><strong>Content.</strong> Do you require guests write original content? Can they repurpose or reprint material? Do you have other content requirements? Do you have any requirements regarding the language used such as four letter words? Do you expect writers to actively respond to comments?</li>
<li><strong>Keywords.</strong> Do you ask guest writers to include specific keywords or to write for specific categories on your website? Do you provide these?</li>
<li><strong>Links.</strong> Do you allow writers to have links to their blog or website in the body of their content? If so, do you have any limitations on the use of links such as the number of links and where they can link to? For example, no links to a competitor or product.</li>
<li><strong>Presentation.</strong> Do you want the writer to include graphics, photographs, presentations and/or videos? If so, who’s responsible for checking the IP rights? Do you have any specific guidelines regarding size, etc.?</li>
<li><strong>Author bio.</strong> How do you want guest writers represented on your blog? Remember the focus is the guest’s content, not their bio. How many words can the bio include? How many links are allowed in the bio and to where (the writer’s blog or website, social media profiles, email)? Is a photo or avatar needed?</li>
<li><strong>Copy editing.</strong> Will you edit the post after it’s submitted? Do guest authors have input after the article is submitted? Remember language can be a big issue for both the blog owner and the writer. From a blog owner’s perspective, a guest post is a big endorsement. Therefore, the post should be edited in line with the blog’s editorial policy. If there are significant issues, discuss them with the author to maintain good relations.</li>
<li><strong>Compensation.</strong> While most guest posts are done for the exposure, there are cases where there’s compensation. Clearly define who, when and what you compensate people. Do you expect to be able to have reciprocal columns on their site? Make sure that this is well understood before your accept a guest post.</li>
<li><strong>Promotion</strong>. It’s accepted practice that a guest post shouldn’t include any promotion in it. Further, assume that if you refer to a book or other product with related affiliate revenues, those revenues accrue to the blog owner. For articles related to specific businesses, what’s promotion may be more subjective. To the extent possible, define what’s acceptable on your blog.</li>
<li><strong>Social sharing.</strong> Do you request that guest authors promote their posts on social media, their own blog, their newsletters, and other platforms?</li>
<li><strong>IP rights</strong>. Who owns the guest authored content? Do you require that writers sign a release? How long until they can republish the article elsewhere?</li>
</ol>
<p>Remember that the goal of guest post guidelines is to provide a framework for a working relationship where both the blog owner and the guest writer benefit. To build a good relationship, discuss any points that might be an issue for either of you.</p>
<p>Do you have any other suggestions that you’d add to this list? If so, please include them in the comment section below.</p>
<p>Happy marketing,<br />
Heidi Cohen</p>
<hr />Here are some related articles of interest.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/blog-checklist/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">60 Point Blog Checklist</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/does-your-blog-pass-the-10-second-test/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Does your blog pass the 10 second test?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/blog-popular/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">How to Make Your Blog Popular</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathika/2542066238/sizes/m/in/photostream/" >MrKathika </a>via Flickr</p>
<p><small><cite><a href="http://heidicohen.com/guest-blogging-policies/" rel="bookmark">Does Your Blog Have Guests With Benefits?</a></cite> – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on <a href="http://heidicohen.com">Heidi Cohen</a> on July 1, 2011.<br />
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		<title>Heineken looks to social media for brand push &#8211; MarketWatch</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/social-media/heineken-looks-to-social-media-for-brand-push-marketwatch/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:17:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<category><![CDATA[Social Media]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Social BarrelHeineken looks to social media for brand pushMarketWatchAE), which on Thursday confirmed it had signed a multi-million euros online advertising contract with Google Inc. (GOOG), is in talks with Facebook Inc. and other companies about simi...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&amp;fd=R&amp;usg=AFQjCNGbCuYFNOF_6XQ21_8irqXb9Axngw&amp;url=http://socialbarrel.com/heineken-to-advertize-on-youtube/10478/"><img src="http://nt1.ggpht.com/news/tbn/qcgczyuuonE8WM/6.jpg" alt="" border="1" width="80" height="80" /><br /><font size="-2">Social Barrel</font></a></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br /><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1" /></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&amp;fd=R&amp;usg=AFQjCNFE5VjBg0vUnq1TC_1lQRs4lmsMcQ&amp;url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/heineken-looks-to-social-media-for-brand-push-2011-06-30"><b>Heineken looks to <b>social media</b> for brand push</b></a><br /><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">MarketWatch</font></b></font><br /><font size="-1">AE), which on Thursday confirmed it had signed a multi-million euros online advertising contract with <b>Google</b> Inc. (GOOG), is in talks with <b>Facebook</b> Inc. and other companies about similar deals as it looks to boost its brand presence on <b>social media</b> <b>&#8230;</b></font><br /><font size="-1"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&amp;fd=R&amp;usg=AFQjCNH0gv1sKCue8MQ05QmATlDEmuegYQ&amp;url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304584004576417301681632980.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">Heineken in <b>Google</b> Ad Deal</a><font size="-1" color="#6f6f6f"><nobr>Wall Street Journal</nobr></font></font><br /><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br /><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&amp;ned=us&amp;ncl=dDz_941zGNKeaPMEbkm_5vMODSUPM"><nobr><b>all 40 news articles&nbsp;&raquo;</b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Social Media Day: How Has Your Organization Evolved?</title>
		<link>http://gosocial.us/social-media/social-media-day-how-has-your-organization-evolved/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:00:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[<p>While marketers, PR experts, social media professionals and business executives may differ in how they <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-definition/">define social media</a>, they’d all agree that social media has changed how products and services are marketed. In the past year, social media has evolved from a small marketing test to an integral part of the marketing plan that enables a business to achieve its goals. Here are ten elements that distinguish social media as it’s currently implemented in businesses and organizations.</p>
 <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-day-how-has-your-organization-evolved/">Continue reading <span>&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
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<h2>10 Social Media Organizational Attributes</h2>
<p><strong><a href="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/SocialMediaDay2011.png#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-6180" title="SocialMediaDay2011" src="http://heidicohen.com/wp-content/uploads/SocialMediaDay2011-300x121.png" alt="" width="300" height="121" /></a>Happy Second Social Media Day!</strong> While marketers, PR experts, social media professionals and business executives may differ in how they <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-definition/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">define <strong>social media</strong></a>, they’d all agree that social media has changed how products and services are marketed. In the past year, social media has evolved from a small marketing test to an integral part of the marketing plan that enables a business to achieve its goals.<span id="more-6177"></span> Further, it’s difficult for firms to claim that they can’t participate when <a href="http://heidicohen.com/if-the-irs-tweets-so-can-you/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">the IRS, the police and hospitals participate on social media</a> in positive ways to increase engagement with the public.</p>
<p>Here are ten elements that distinguish social media as it’s currently implemented in businesses and organizations.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Requires effective brand monitoring.</strong> From a marketing and messaging perspective, it’s important to have the best brand monitoring your firm can afford to track and listen to the conversation and respond to mentions where appropriate. (Note: In reality, only about 2% of mentions require interaction.) On a related note, firms need to create and implement <a href="http://heidicohen.com/create-social-media-guidelines/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media guidelines</a> and a <a href="http://heidicohen.com/17-social-media-guidelines-every-company-needs/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">crisis management plan</a> to decisively engage when and where it’s necessary. Firms also should develop a <a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-contingency-plan/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">social media contingency plan</a> to ensure continuous coverege when social media lead(s) are out of the office.</li>
<li><strong>Determines critical <a href="http://heidicohen.com/branding-logo/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">brand</a></strong><strong> attributes and provides brand guidance</strong>. As brand concierges, marketers are responsible for determining the key brand elements and related images and associations to aid positioning which Trout and Ries’ defined as the battle for your consumers’ mind.</li>
<li><strong>Drives content creation across the </strong><strong><a href="http://heidicohen.com/content-marketing-purchase-process/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">purchase process</a>.</strong> Social media is driven by content and the context of the message. Social media has extended company engagement across the purchase process. In particular, social media has underscored the value of customer ratings and reviews as well as the need for post-purchase support.</li>
<li><strong>Increases the efficiency and velocity of markets</strong>. Social media has facilitated the speed and distribution of information sharing. As a result, it’s much easier for consumers to get competitive pricing information. For businesses, this translates to lower prices and thinner margins.</li>
<li><strong>Must be integrated across your organization</strong>. As social media usage matures, it needs to be incorporated into your organizational activities. In particular, understand that anywhere you have a presence, prospects and customers will use it to resolve customer service issues. Social media can be used for other areas of your business as well.</li>
<li><strong>Involves <a href="http://heidicohen.com/need-social-media-manager/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">dedicated head count</a></strong>. Social media isn’t a program you start and put on autopilot. It requires <a href="http://heidicohen.com/7-ways-to-use-social-media-beyond-conventional-marketing/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">real people</a> who understand your business and brand, who’re trained to respond and interact with the public. Many companies find that, at a minimum, you need a social media manager although the job may span a few different job titles.</li>
<li><strong>Has transformed organizations. </strong> In particular, social media requires that businesses have a greater level of transparency, particularly in their public interactions. Understand that this doesn’t require a tell-all approach.</li>
<li><strong>Embraces consumer engagement</strong>.  In the social media ecosystem, customer engagement is needed. Among the most effective forms of social media is social sharing where content is shared across platforms and networks. This helps disperse your marketing message at no cost.</li>
<li><strong>Requires financial resources.</strong> Contrary to the belief that social media is free, social media requires funding to cover the cost of the people who implement your social media plan and the cost of content creation and distribution.</li>
<li><strong>Needs metrics tied to its strategic goals</strong>. As social media continues to evolve and become integrated into your marketing plans, it requires metrics that are tied to your marketing goals.</li>
</ol>
<p>At the heart of social media is the ability to build social relationships with prospects and customers  by listening and actively participating in the social media ecosystem. As social media evolves, marketers must be involved and adapt to the changing landscape.</p>
<p>Are there any other elements that you’d add to this list? If so, what are they?</p>
<p>Happy marketing,<br />
Heidi Cohen</p>
<hr />Here are some related articles of interest.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/what-is-social-media/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">What is social media?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/13-ways-social-media-has-transformed-marketing/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">Social Media Day 2010</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/how-to-guarantee-your-social-media-roi-is-zero/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">How to ensure that your social media ROI is zero</a></li>
<li><a href="http://heidicohen.com/5-social-media-adoption-indicators/#utm_source=feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feed">5 Indicators of social media adoption</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Image source: http://mashable.com/2011/05/03/mashable-social-media-day-2011/</p>
<p><small><cite><a href="http://heidicohen.com/social-media-day-how-has-your-organization-evolved/" rel="bookmark">Social Media Day: How Has Your Organization Evolved?</a></cite> – © 2011, Heidi Cohen. This post originally appeared on <a href="http://heidicohen.com">Heidi Cohen</a> on June 30, 2011.<br />
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