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Entries Tagged as 'Social Media'

You cannot ignore Google+ for your business

by Drew McLellan

January 10th, 2012 · Social Media, Web/Tech

Google Plus Logo
Google+ cannot be ignored

When Google+ emerged last summer, people’s reactions were to be expected.  The early adopters were all over it. But for most people who were already suffering from social media fatigue — their response was “oh no…not another site for me to maintain!”

And many people simply opted out, not wanting to use/try yet another social networking site.  All along, I have been saying that it  simply could not be ignored. (like here)

Let’s look at time line for those of you who aren’t familiar with how this played out.

  • Summer 2011 — Google+ launches
  • 16 days later — Google+  reaches 10 million users (Facebook took 852 days, Twitter took 780)
  • November 2011 — Google+ launches business pages
  • January 2012 — Google+ has just added three new features to its search giant (see below)
  • Do you think they don’t have the next move already planned?

This newest set of features makes personalization of Google search a given.  Specifically, how/who you are connected to on Google+ will impact your search results. Again — more ammo for the argument that businesses simply cannot ignore how this is changing the world of search. Here is a quick overview of the three new features. (email readers, click here to view video)

Personal Results

These results enable you to find information only pertaining to you and your connections. They show photos and updates from Google+ that include what you’ve shared and what has been shared with you there.

You will be the only one who can access this exact data.

Profiles in Search

These results, also shown in autocomplete and regular search results, will display Google+ profiles of people you know or others you may be interested in following when you search for people’s names.

Once searched, you’ll also have the choice (if you’re signed in and you use it) to add Google+ users to your Circles from directly within the search results.

People and Pages

These results show you profiles or Google+ business pages on the right-hand side of the results page when you search a specific topic or key word/s.

I don’t think I have to paint the picture for you.   Who do you think is going to get a higher search ranking — a business with or without Google+ content?

And take my word on it — this is just the beginning.  You simply cannot ignore Google+.  (Go build your Google+ business page here)

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This book is light on the BS and heavy on social media insight

by Drew McLellan

November 28th, 2011 · Books, Social Media

no bullshit book
Good primer on social media

As a member of Amazon’s Vine program, I received a copy of Jason Falls and Erik Deckers‘ new book No Bullshit Social Media*. (click here to buy it) and knew it would be a great read — simply by knowing the authors.

I dove into it — and was not disappointed.

Here’s who will find great value in this book:

  • College students who want to find a fresher way to get a job
  • Young marketing professionals who know social media matters but don’t really understand the business implications
  • Seasoned marketing professionals who didn’t grow up in the digital age and want to catch up
  • Corporate types who have to convince their boss that social media shouldn’t be ignored
  • Business owners who are wondering if it’s worth the time investment

This book lays out the argument that social media is not going away.  It’s not a fad — it’s a new and permanent shift in how we communicate with reach other, with companies, brands and how we influence strangers through sites like YELP and Amazon reviews.  Authors Jason Falls and Erik Deckers really demonstrate both the risks of ignoring it and the huge potential gains for any business smart enough to jump on board this moving train.

The authors tell great stories and provide lots of examples that are both educational and compelling.

Here’s who will enjoy the book but may not take copious notes:

  • Seasoned marketing pros who have already been active in social media
  • People looking for a blueprint of “how to do it” so they put down the book and launch their social media program
  • Social media consultants (although frankly some of the so called experts should read it!)

Even if you feel like you’re on the cutting edge — you will enjoy this book.  It’s worth the read.

And if you’re new to the idea of using social media to promote, grow and sustain your business — grab a highlighter, a lined notebook for jotting down ideas and your imagination and then settle in for a very good introduction that will have your head exploding with ideas and the possibilities.

*Amazon Affiliate link

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How to use Facebook ads

October 12th, 2011 · Marketing, Media, Social Media · 8 Comments

  Facebook advertising best practices For many businesses, advertising on the social network Facebook has proven to be a very successful model.  Facebook’s model is to be pretty rigid in terms of what you can and can’t do on your ad.  They’re all the same size and shape.  The format for all ads is exactly [Read more...]

The smaller you are, the better Facebook is

September 26th, 2011 · Social Media, Strategy · 13 Comments

  Facebook lets you actually talk to people! A comment made on my blog post about Facebook’s dominance which basically said… “Facebook is only for people who care about social media and media types” had me shaking my head. He’s not alone in his opinion. Check out this recent study that looked at why many [Read more...]

Why Facebook matters to every business

September 21st, 2011 · Media, Social Media, Strategy · 13 Comments

  Why Facebook matters to every business   I’ve heard all the reasons, especially from B2B companies…but the “our customers aren’t on Facebook” excuse is just that, an excuse. We buy radio stations and send direct mail hoping to hit some of our target audience.  Why do we look at Facebook so differently? With statistics [Read more...]

Is social media right for your business?

September 10th, 2011 · Business owner/leader stuff, Social Media, Strategy · 21 Comments

…is social media right for your business? There are a lot of social media “experts” out there who will tell you that every single organization on the globe should be participating in social media.  They will point to the cool Facebook fan pages they’ve made or the funny videos their clients have on YouTube and [Read more...]

What should you buy from a social media savvy agency?

August 5th, 2011 · Business owner/leader stuff, Social Media · 6 Comments

…buy the right help from the right agency Okay…the other day I blew a fuse about social media consultants selling smoke screens and mirrors.  (read my rant here) Which of course begs the question — what SHOULD you buy from someone who actually has an expertise in melding social media into the rest of your [Read more...]

You can’t sleep through your own social media efforts

August 3rd, 2011 · Business owner/leader stuff, Social Media · 30 Comments

  …no effort, no real gain I will admit right off the bat, this is a bit of a rant, which you know I don’t do very often. I was on the phone with a prospect (an organization who is just contemplating how/if they should begin to participate in social media) and I was talking [Read more...]

Radio show on book crowdsourcing

July 5th, 2011 · Books, Social Media, Strategy · 6 Comments

  …media coverage for Age #1 One of the best benefits of being a part of the Age of Conversation series is that I’ve met a lot of really smart, generous people who do good work and celebrate others’ good work. That’s how I had the good fortune of being a guest on the US [Read more...]

Promote your community via crowdsourcing

July 3rd, 2011 · Books, Social Media · 1 Comment

As many of you know, Gavin Heaton and I co-edited the Age of Conversation series of books — each one crowdsourced with help from marketing and social media practitioners from all over the globe.  Each book is as unique as the contributors but they all three had some things in common: The authors formed a [Read more...]