Most businesses feel a bit overwhelmed when it comes to finding or creating content to use in regular updates on social media channels or on a company blog.

“What do I say?” they ask.

“Say something that your customer (or potential customer) will find useful and valuable,” I tell them.

“I don’t have time to blog…so where do I find something useful and valuable to share?” they ask.

“Google is your friend,” I tell them.

If you’ve never used Google Alerts before, you’re in for a real treat. My clients are always amazed at this tool when I show it to them. Google is everywhere. Google sees all. Google knows all. So if you need something good to share, just ask Google. Here’s how it works:

1. Go to www.google.com/alerts
2. Type in a keyword you want to search [and you'll automatically see recent posts that include your keyword appear on the page]
3. Determine the type of content you want to find. Maybe you only want “News” posts or you’re looking specifically for “Blogs” talking about your keyword. You might want to start out looking at “Everything” just to see what kind of alerts you get. You may find that it’s too broad, or it may be just right for what you need.
4. Decide how often you want to be alerted. I’d recommend starting out with once a week [or else you might get a little overwhelmed]. Remember, there are millions of pages of content on the Internet, and Google will happily point you to them all day long if you want. But, if you’re trying to run your business, you might not have time to read Google alerts all day!
5. Determine the volume you’d like to receive. I recommend selecting “Only the best results” so that you’re getting the most refined list possible.
6. Give Google the email address where you’d like these alerts sent
7. Click “Create Alert” and watch the magic of Google deliver happiness into your inbox!

A few things to keep in mind… You don’t want to send your customers to your competitor’s websites for great content. So make sure you pay attention to the sources of the content you find that you want to share. Ultimately, you might begin to see the value of creating your own content so you can constantly be pointing people back to your website instead of someone else’s! [Did you know VOD can help with blog or article writing?] Also, remember that Google is not necessarily all-powerful enough to determine what is fact and what is fiction…so check your facts. Make sure the content you’re sharing is credible and useful for people. You don’t want to be the one who sends them down the wrong path.

If you set up your alerts and you still don’t know how to make it all work into a social media strategy that actually engages people, give me a shout. We can help!

Illustration borrowed from @tomjohnson

Nobody likes to only be spoken to. We all like to interact in a dialogue. We want to be invited into a conversation. We want to engage. So why is it that so many businesses just post statements or updates that don’t actually invite anyone to join in? Remember, you’re trying to keep people connected to you as long as possible so they can learn about your business, or product, or service. What reason do they have to stay and engage with you?

Here are a few ideas that you can use (specifically on Facebook) that will help get more people interacting with your page as opposed to merely viewing it:

• Ask questions. It’s so easy, in fact, because Facebook added a feature that lets you set up a poll or question where you can provide options for people to click their choice. You can ask questions that have the button options, or ask open-ended questions. But don’t just ask “What are you doing this weekend?” Ask something that’s somehow connected to you, your product, your company, or your target audience. For example, if you run an accounting firm, you might ask, “What’s the biggest frustration you have with filing your taxes?” [I'm sure you'd get a LOT of people with opinions on that one!] Check out a recent question we’ve asked on our FB page here.
• Do “fill-in-the-blank” posts. It’s like Madlibs [you remember those, right?!]. People love to get creative with things like that. In fact, I used a fill-in-the-blank post on my personal page last night because I just didn’t know how to describe the kind of day I had…instead I let people fill it in for me. I said “You know it’s been a _____ day when you wrap it up at 8:30pm with a tropical adult beverage.” The responses I got cracked me up, and got people talking to each other. Imagine how much fun you could have with some of those posts that fit into your company’s personality?
• Ask people’s opinions. We all have them. And we all like to share them–even when unsolicited! So when you’re rolling out a new product, or you have a debate brewing in the offices, invite your “fans” to contribute their $.02 to the matter. Granted, their opinion might not actually sway you one way or another when it comes to product development, and they may be a little disappointed if you don’t use their idea, but the fact that you ask them means a lot…

So next time you’re going to post something to your business page, stop and think: How will this invite people to engage with us?

LinkedIn is a great professional social media outlet that allows users to search for jobs, stay connected with old colleagues and new ones, while promoting their resume, but its so much more then just that. Mashable wrote a wonderful article called So How Are People Really Using LinkedIn? This article helps answer that question further. Mashable uses infographics to display the answers that 500 LinkedIn users were asked.

LinkedIn provides countless opportunities for professionals, but like anything, you have to put time and energy into it in order to get something out of it. So how can you be doing this? Here are some suggestions that we typically offer to clients:

• Optimize your profile: make connections, receive recommendations for yourself, offer recommendations for others, and post updates regularly
• Join and engage in groups: they provide an opportunity to gain potential clients, grow your network, and allow for learning opportunities
• Answer and ask questions: become an “expert,” give and receive good information
• Use applications to integrate other social media or communications tools you are already using
• Create a company page: this kind of page allows people to follow your business, get your latest news and job opportunities, and learn about the services you provide
• Learn from LinkedIn’s small business videos [You'll learn something, plus they’re really funny]

Tell us how you’re using LinkedIn. What aspects of the site do you find the most beneficial for you and your business?

If a customer has a question for a company or a brand, it’s easy enough for them to ask it on Twitter, but the question is, will the company or brand hear them? And will they respond? Users have indicated in a recent study from InboxQ that companies and brands would benefit by being more responsive. “Almost 60% of respondents said they would be more likely to follow a brand that answered them, and 64% said they would be more likely to make a purchase from that brand or company.” Customers want to be able to connect with companies and brands in order to feel appreciated and to express their opinions about a product or experience.

Customers have no problem voicing their thoughts, opinions, and concerns through their own personal social media outlets. This means that brands are no longer the only ones with a voice. Customers can be heard more loudly and publicly then ever before, leveling out the playing field between businesses and customers. Brands and companies can gain greater loyalty and increased profits by hearing and responding to their customers needs, wants, and desires.

So the question for you is, are you listening? Because whether you realize it or not, people are probably talking about your brand or company. It’s up to you to listen and engage with your customers on their turf.

(Oh, and by the way, if you’re still not sure how Twitter works or why you should bother with it, drop us a line and we’ll fill you in!)

Twitter, our personal favorite social media platform at VOD, has caught on like wild fire with their unique request for users to answer the question, “What’s happening?” in 140 characters or less. It can be one of the most effective ways to promote your company, service, or organization if used correctly. Twitter lets you send positive messages to existing and potential customers and clients by providing ongoing interaction with them, which can help you grow your network and develop further rapport.

One way that people and businesses are using Twitter to really connect is to include photos in some of their tweets. You may be thinking, “Who cares? What is the advantage of uploading a picture and how can that help me?” The use of pictures can add personality to your tweets. People usually like to make a connection with those they work with. By posting pictures, your followers can develop a deeper rapport with you or your business. Pictures show followers instantly what you are doing or what kind of progress has been made in a specific project. Plus, people tend to be curious beings. If someone you know uploads a picture and tweets about it, why not see exactly what they are talking about? Besides everyone likes pictures! Take advantage of this feature in order to help your business continue to become a well-rounded Tweeter!

Now that we’ve told you why photos in your tweets can be beneficial, we want to keep you updated on some changes coming to Twitter that tie into the photo upload conversation. Twitter users used to be able to pick from third-party sources like Yfrog or TwitPic to upload a picture, which would take users to either the Yfrog or TwitPic website to view the photo. With Twitter’s popularity continuing to grow, they have decided to take matters into their own hands and do what they can to keep people on their site. They’ll soon be launching a new feature that will allow for the same capabilities as the other third-party sources, but now it will all work officially within the Twitter family. Basically, that means they’re doing what they can to keep people engaged on their own website.

Check out Twitter’s official video introducing the new photo & video sharing feature

Tell us what you’ve been taking pictures of lately…or better yet, show us! Post a link to your latest tweeted photos, or your Flickr account. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

Facebook is one social media outlet that loves to add new features constantly. Their latest update is known as facial recognition. This feature makes it easier to tag friends in albums. Using a facial recognition technology, Facebook will group similar faces together and automatically suggest the friend you should tag.

You need to aware of this change because as it rolls out it will be set as a default setting. For those of you who do not want Facebook to suggest you when your friends go to tag their pictures, here is how you change this:

• Go to your privacy settings
• Click, “customize settings”
• Scroll down to “Things others share”
• Find “Suggest photos of me to friends”
• Edit accordingly

It’s an easy fix, but with Facebook always changing things it is important to be made aware especially when it becomes a default setting. For more information about this new change you can check out this article: Facebook Turns on Facial Recognition for Tagging by Default

At VOD Communications, we encourage your business to have a Facebook business page, but knowing how to use and manage it effectively is the key. Please contact us if you need any help.

I’m considering a new series of blog posts that highlight some of the emails I get. Sometimes there’s one that really impresses me…then there’s the one [or several] that makes me wonder why someone bothered to take the time to send it. I got two emails from two social media channels recently, and both stood out to me, though for very different reasons. I’ll start with the one that really grabbed my attention. LinkedIn sent me this:

The email made me engage immediately, mostly because it’s almost entirely made up of photos of people I know. Even though I may see these faces in LinkedIn [or even in person], somehow seeing them in this form in my inbox really made me stop. And the questions/statements they connected to a few of my connections piqued my interest enough to look and see [if I didn't already remember what they had changed or updated recently]. In fact, I spent more time on LinkedIn in the last couple weeks than I usually do, and I think part of that is due to the fact that this email got me thinking, “I should see what so-and-so is up to these days.”

Then, just a day or so ago, I got this email from MySpace:

Not only is it completely unappealing visually [I still don't get the whole new logo with the blank space...I mean, I get it, but it just doesn't seem to be working for me], but the content and the timing are just not good. It was hard to not see or hear news about all the job cuts MySpace was doing in the last week or two, so I already knew “what’s new.” Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I went to MySpace, but I was holding out some hope that it might figure out a way to stay relevant in the social media world. I just don’t think it’s going to survive. And the complete lack of anything appealing in the email [both visually and in the copy] just left me sighing, wondering when they’ll just disappear entirely. I’m not a hater. I know tons of bands still use MySpace, and I suppose that if my goal was to find a place where I could “follow my favorite topics in  music, movies, celebs, and TV,” MySpace might be a good place for me to hang out. But, alas, I don’t think I’m their target market…and I just don’t think they’ve got what it takes to keep people engaged much longer.

So I think it’s obvious who wins this first Inbox Showdown. Congratulations LinkedIn!

The good folks at WordPress have challenged everyone with a WP blog to post something daily, or at least weekly in 2011. Well, I’m always up for a good challenge…so here is the first official post of 2011. Only 51 more to go! [I'm being completely realistic here. There's no way I'd get a post a day in here!]

Of course the challenge of a regular blog post is to offer something substantive, worth reading, and well, not crap. Thankfully, one of the most prolific and insightful bloggers out there has a few tips that will help me [and hopefully help you, too, as your figure out your blog strategy for this year].

So to kick off your blogging year, make sure you know the two most important words in blogging: YOU and BECAUSE. Make sure when you’re blogging to connect with existing customers, potential customers, fans, etc., that you are addressing their most important needs. What do you have to offer them that will truly benefit them? And if you want to motivate them to some sort of action, you have to give them a compelling reason why they should.

When I couldn’t log onto the Bank of America website Friday to schedule my mortgage payment, my first thought (as it usually is in these kinds of situations) was to check Twitter to see if anyone else was having problems with the site. Well, I quickly realized that I was not alone in my frustration (and I also realized that people who can’t access their money can get VERY angry and say some of the most incredible things!).

To their credit, Bank of America did have a Twitter team responding to the issue. But here’s where the lesson is, so pay attention. The response team’s Twitter handle is @BofA_Help. So every time I searched “Bank of America” or even “bankofamerica” I wasn’t seeing them. All I saw was tweet after tweet berating the bank for it’s down site (and even a threat by one disgruntled customer to burn it down!). I searched BofA too, and somehow never saw their tweets in that search. My tweet about the downed site was actually more to point out what seemed like a huge lack of response:

It wasn’t until they responded to my tweet and included “I work for Bank of America” in their tweet that I knew they even existed. (A sidenote here: BofA Help team, please ask someone if you can take another photo for your profile where it doesn’t look like one of those family portraits where everyone is matchy-matchy. Honestly, until I looked closer, I thought it actually was someone’s family portrait.)

So the simple lesson, as I see it: make sure your company’s name is actually part of your Twitter handle. And if you can’t get a twitter name with your business name (or your name is so incredibly long that it would cut down on your RT-ability because it uses up too many of the 140 characters), you better make sure you know what people are searching for when they look for you…and include those words in your tweets on a regular basis! (But, really, it makes more sense to just make sure your biz name is part of your handle.) Seriously. If I had searched for “Bank of America” and seen tweets like this, it would’ve been a completely different view of the company:

According to the Associated Press, the site was officially down for four hours. But the stream of irritated tweets went on for what seemed like forever… And, unfortunately, if anyone else was searching Twitter like I do, they probably wondered if BofA was even listening.

Recently I’ve been to a few restaurants where I’ve noticed signs pointing people to the restaurants’ social media presences. More and more local businesses are catching on to the importance of Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Foursquare, etc. And what’s even better is watching the interactions that are taking place between these restaurants and their customers (both online and off).

In Arlington Heights, IL (a suburb of Chicago), I go to a monthly networking group for Momtrepreneurs at Egg Harbor Cafe. It’s a great breakfast place with locations all around the Chicagoland area. However, with all the roosters and chickens making up the decor inside, I really didn’t expect to see this on their whiteboard:

I loved the creativity and had never seen anyone using their whiteboard at the front of the restaurant for promoting their social media worlds instead of their daily specials. And on their Facebook page are all kinds of fans commenting about the restaurant. (My personal favorite was from a woman who said, “wanted to share that my 3 year old son dreams about your banana bread French toast!”)

It was only a few weeks later that I was in Grand Rapids, MI, where I had dinner at a fabulous tapas restaurant, San Chez. As we waited for a table I noticed a couple signs on a little counter near the hostess stand. One mentioned the fact that they have “Tweet Ahead Seating” which I thought was genius. You just tweet at them with your name and number of people, and they’ll reply with a confirmation. Brilliant! They also had this sign on the table, recognizing the Mayor of their restaurant. It’s one thing to check into Foursquare and know you’re the Mayor of a location, but to actually walk into that place and see your name and Mayorship on display for everyone…come on! That’s just fun! On their website, they take their social media pretty seriously. They have an entire page devoted to all the places you can interact with them online for special offers, and even a free tapa if you check into Foursquare. (Hey, wait a minute…I’m sure I checked in there and I never got my free tapa!)

What I love about all these restaurants engaging with people online is the fact that dining out is a very communal experience. Most often you’re eating with friends or family, and there’s great food and conversation shared (and, if you’re lucky, some amazing Sangria…San Chez has a great recipe!). The fact that these (and many other) restaurants are trying to maintain the communal feeling with people after they’ve left the physical restaurant makes people feel even more connected to the experience they had at that place. It’s a beautiful thing to see social engagement taken to this level. I’m excited to see how other retailers and restaurants participate in the conversation…

Got a good story about a restaurant’s social media menu? I’d love to hear it…