All posts in social

Punch-in/Punch-Out-ers Need Not Apply

by Jeff on August 31st, 2011 in social with No comments

It work for some people right? They get a job and punch in at 9 and out at 5. That’s that. Same day in and out. There are some professions that’ll work for however with social media if you are one of those folks I’d say you might want to think about a new profession. I’m all for getting into Social Media and trying to make something work out of it. However, if you’re not willing to make it a 24/7/365 type of gig then you’re doing it wrong.

Social Media and the management of clients is an ongoing thing. It doesn’t stop just because you’re sleepy or are going out to dinner with friends. If you’re one of those folks that has a couple thousand followers on Twitter and is always on Facebook and is having dreams of raking in the money I’d caution you against dropping everything from your current, stable job and jumping into Social Media management. For starters, everyone and their mother and grandparents are calling themselves Social Media Experts. What are you going to do to distinguish yourself from the rest? The thing I found that my clients LOVE is the fact that I’m available all the time and I’m always immersed in the analytics and strategies and ready to shift gears if something isn’t working. I work fast and have been able to deliver positive results for clients. There are some people who will sign a client and then do the 9-5 thing for them. What about those other hours? What happens if a client gets a bad review on twitter, yelp, Facebook or another outlet during your “off hours” ? Do You jump into action or do you wait for the start of your day the next day? I’ve seen news and reviews spread like wildfire so for me, there is no waiting. You’ve got to get on that right away and handle it with your client and the consumer.

Ok so you’re not going to be able to stay up 24 hours a day. What tools should you be using to keep posting to Twitter feeds?

Hootsuite is a great product to use if you’re managing a few clients. I use it on a daily basis and it’s superb. The reports I’m able to create as well as the analytics I can check out right within the site is amazing. If you’re managing multiple clients I highly recommend you check out Hootsuite at hootsuite.com/.

Bufferapp is another superb tweet delay tool that allows me to make sure my clients are posting relevant content throughout the day. It takes me an hour or so in the mornings to fill their buffer feeds and then I’m worry free for the day and I can focus on other things. Such as conversation, responding to new followers, etc. One of the great things about Buffer is they have an affordable “pro” account and are super flexible if you need to expand beyond that. Joel and Leo are two of the most amazing and transparent founders I’ve ever met. They’ve got a vision and are rocking it day and night. Interested in learning more about Buffer App? Click here.

All in all social media is an all day, every day type of thing. If you’re not into diving into that pool then I’d suggest passing over this profession until that level of dedication is there for you.

The Auto DM: A Quick Way to an Unfollow

by Jeff on August 17th, 2011 in social with No comments
Road ends

So you four me on Twitter (@ffejmi) and decided I was cool enough to follow. I then got a nifty alert letting me know someone new has followed me. After checking out your bio and activity I decide that yeah, sure I want to follow you back. After I’ve followed you I’m sure I replied to you on Twitter thanking you for the follow and letting you know I’m looking forward to some great conversations. But you my friend take it one step further and invite yourself over to my house without giving me warning. Not 5mins after I followed you just had to auto dm me with some gibberish about how I should like you on Facebook or follow you on Foursquare, GoWalla, Youtube, Flickr and check out your amazing blog. I’ll politely respond to that auto dm with a thanks for the spam message and then promptly unfollow your ass.

Thanks but no thanks. Want to connect with me? Do it on Twitter. Seriously. Say hello and start up a conversation. I find the fact that people think it’s ok to send me this unsolicited crap appalling. I’d put you on the level of the person that keeps asking me via email to be their beneficiary in Nigeria. Same thing folks, just a different digital medium. It’s scummy. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m all about having a conversation and that’s what I’m looking for on Twitter. Great conversations with amazing people. Often times I find it. Other times I get the shaft and find a bad egg.

So before you sign up for that service that will auto dm a new follower more information about you take a minute and think whether or not it’s going to be well received. My favorite are the ones that I reply thanks! to and never ever get a response back. Bottom line is if you’re going to auto DM me it’s a quick way for me to unfollow you and let everyone I know that you’re one of those people.

It’s all about the conversation

by Jeff on May 17th, 2011 in social with No comments
Conversations over Coffee

When you whittle Social Media down to it’s core I feel like it’s all about the conversation and your level of engagement. It’s like when you were a kid and wanted to make friends and mom and dad told you to go introduce yourself and join in on the fun. Sure, there were those that wouldn’t let you into the cool kids club but for the most part people were and are welcoming. The same goes for Social Media, if you’re going to hang out on the edge and not participate that’s fine but you won’t have the best experience you could possibly be having, plus it gets a little lonely hanging out by yourself.

Engage. Say hello to someone that influences you. Respond to a message they might post. Disagree with something they say? Let them know. People who create conversation are always willing to here differing opinions to theirs and will more than likely engage in that conversation with you to explain their thoughts and vice versa. You might not always get a response and that’s ok don’t let it hurt your feelings. Keep in mind that they might be getting dozens if not hundreds of responses. It gets tough to respond to everyone when you’ve got a firehose of replies coming back at you.

Conversate. Seriously have a conversation with people. Sure there is always some level of tooting your own horn on the different social media platforms but in the end I’ve found the most valuable things I gain from Twitter and Facebook are the conversations I have with like minded individuals. One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to be so hell bent on your opinion being the right one that you don’t let other folks have their own. Don’t be that guy as I like to say. Always be open and always be ready to have a difference of opinion come through to you and whatever it is you said. Being open and willing to hear all of the opinions that people might have will lead to you getting more readers and commenters because they know you’ve got an open mind to whoever would like to spark up a conversation.

With all that being said I’d like to extend an invitation to folks who would like to sit down and talk about whatever they’d like. If you’re near Rhode Island and want to chat about music, tech, startups, design, social media, etc I’d be more than happy to listen. I’m going to be setting up open coffee hours two or three times a week in one hour blocks for people to come by and chat. It’s a way for all of us to meet someone new and have a great conversation. More information on it coming soon!