Social Media Time Managment

"There aren’t enough hours in the day for all the chores that social media puts in front of us," says Chris Brogan in Prioritize Your Social Media Efforts. So how do you prioritize your time? This great Ebook from Amber Naslund can help steer you in the right direction.

Ebook: Social Media Time Management

View more documents from Amber Naslund.

Meet Me at Barcamp Nashville

BarCamp is Nashville's free "un"-conference for the digital and technical community. The BarCamp format was brought to Nashville by Marcus Whitney and Dave Delaney in 2007. It's free to attend — thanks to our generous sponsors — and the un-conference format encourages community learning: attendees are also encouraged to sign up to present a session. (Did we mention it's free?)

BarCamp has become the premier technology conference in Nashville, bringing together the best minds and representation of the hottest companies in the internet, entrepreneurial, new media, and software industries, among others. Over 300 people attended the first year, and 2008's attendance was nearly double. We’re projecting great growth for 2009. Sign up today to attend!

Facebook & LinkedIn

Now that we’ve spent a tremendous amount of time on Twitter, let’s move on to Facebook and LinkedIn.

Facebook

To promote Management Summit and the Solo & Small Firms Conference, I created Fan pages for both on Facebook and placed “Fan Boxes” for each on their corresponding websites. Now, every time I write on the wall of the Fan page, it shows up on the conference website. This is an easy way to keep fresh content on a stagnant website and to continually inform visitors of updates and exciting news. I have found our Facebook Fan pages to be the least active in terms of members (or fans); but nonetheless, I still love it for the Fan Boxes on the websites.

LinkedIn

Because LinkedIn is the #1 social networking site for professionals, this has by far been our most active social platform. You should definitely fill out a company profile and request that your staff link up to the profile, but this is not where the real value is. The real value is in creating groups and initiating conversations within the groups. What’s the best way to get members fast? Start by creating an Excel spreadsheet of your clients. After you’ve built your group page, while you’re in the group, click on “Manage” and on the right hand side of the page under “Manage Group” click on “Send Invitations”. You will have the ability to upload your Excel file and invite everyone to join your group. Many have accepted our invitation and now it’s our job to create compelling discussions and respond to anyone who has posted a response or sent us an email through LinkedIn.

You can also send Announcements to your group members, but don’t overuse that feature. If your members/clients begin to look at your communications as SPAM, they will remove themselves from your group. The key with social media marketing, and all networking for that matter, is to first figure out how you can help the other person before asking something of them. How would you feel if a stranger, or even a client, walked up to you and launched into a sales pitch? Turned off and tuned out. What if a client approached you with some knowledge or an introduction that would further your personal or professional goals? You would want to reciprocate. Keep that in mind as you reach out to your clients and prospects through these new media channels.

Budgeting Your Twitter Time

Wow! Time flies when you’re having fun, right? I planned to blog my way through TGP’s social media adventure, and it’s been too long since I last posted. So much has happened! Let me fill you in…

Twitter is covered; I walked you through our entire process. But things don’t always go as planned and very few of us are tweeting on a regular basis so far. Actually, my best tweeter isn’t even listed on our pages! I should probably change that; Melissa Whitmer, Client Partner, regularly finds interesting articles that she posts for our followers. I haven’t even been on ever day, I’m sorry to admit.

Someone asked me the other day how to budget your time on Twitter, so here is my process:

• Check “Followers” – As a rule of thumb, businesses should follow anyone who is following them, unless it is obvious spam. So I check my followers to see if I have yet to follow any of them and I do so.
• Check “@messages” and reply to anyone (if necessary) to anyone who has mentioned us in a tweet.
• Check “Direct Messages” and reply to anyone who has sent us a message; unless it is a canned “thanks for following me!” message. Sidenote: PLEASE don’t auto-DM. It’s insincere and it’s become a pet peeve of mine. The ONLY good one I’ve seen is Rick Telberg’s (@CPA_Trendlines) because his doesn’t sound canned; he actually asks how you found him which I think is interesting information to gather.

Once I’m caught up there, then I post a few tweets. I do subscribe to many RSS feeds (tweets) of the thought-leaders I am following, so often I scroll through their recent posts to see if there’s something I want to retweet (RT). Then, I try to post a message or two myself, whether it’s about an upcoming event (Solo & Small Firms Conference or Management Summit) or an interesting article I came across and wanted to share.

All of that should take you only about 15-20 minutes. If you can schedule this in twice a day, you’re golden with Twitter (I would suggest morning and mid-afternoon). Remember, tweets only get about 5 minutes of “air time”, so if it’s an important message, tweet it multiple times.

I’ve also set up our Facebook Fan pages (for Solo & Small Firms Conference and Management Summit) and LinkedIn Groups for both. Stay tuned for details on Facebook and LinkedIn!

Twitter Instructions for TGP Users

Here is a copy of the instructions I sent the TGP team of Twitterers to get them started. Need a Social Media Policy? Click Here for more info >>

Later this week, info on launching Facebook Fan Pages and LinkedIn groups.

Twitter Instructions for TGP Users

Users: Jeff, Charles, Lisa, Amanda, Lyndsey, Kristin

Twitter Accounts:

Account Name..............Username................. Password
TGP4CPAs .................. email address ......... **********
i_Shade ....................... email address ......... **********
Mgmt_Summit ............email address ......... **********
s_s_firmconf .............. email address ......... **********

To use on the web: Go to http://twitter.com and use the above info to log in to any of the accounts.

To use on your iPhone: Download the “Tweetie” app from the Apple app store. You can add and monitor/tweet for all 4 accounts very easily. It’s awesome.

If you know little or nothing about Twitter, read these “tutorials” on my personal blog; I read the Twitter Book cover-to-cover and wrote these based on what I felt was most important in the book. (By the way, @TGP4CPAs just got a tweet from SmartPros wanting to reprint these in their next E-newsletter - Twitter works!)

CPA's are Aflutter About Twitter
Part 1 – Overview: http://bit.ly/cBBzA
Part 2 – Beginner: http://bit.ly/Gy84a
Part 3 – Intermediate: http://bit.ly/DcDv5
Part 4 – Advanced & Business: http://bit.ly/eQajL

Parts 2 and 3 are probably the most important, but if you have time, it would be good to read all 4. For 140 characters, Twitter can be complicated and there is a definite Twitter etiquette that should be followed.

I’m working on building our followers. Right now, the greatest critical mass is on @TGP4CPAs. However, as far as Twitter goes, I would love it if everyone would tweet at least once per day to each account. Preface your tweet with your initials. For example:

KG: Insight into TGP's social media strategy & tactics http://bit.ly/FfFAN

If you are uncomfortable with the idea of tweeting, find a groove and stick with it. For example, Charles may want to tweet Rosenberg stats. Or, maybe you just want to retweet others. If that’s the case, find some people you like and grab their RSS feed. When it’s time for you to tweet, see what they’ve posted and retweet them. Example:

KG: RT @markwschaefer Good message about importance of humility: Reality Check: Get Off Your High Horse Already http://bit.ly/19wsAN

To grab an RSS feed, click on their name (@AICPA_JofA for example) to go to their home page (or go to http://twitter.com/AICPA_JofA) and in the right column, under their “Following” block, you’ll see “RSS Feed of AICPA_JofA’s tweets” (it’s a link). All of their tweets will be delivered right into your Outlook (not your inbox; below your inbox under RSS feeds).

When retweeting, it’s best to include a brief commentary as to why you’re retweeting them. Sometimes it’s difficult with the 140 character limit and can’t always be done (more info in the tutorials about retweeting etiquette).

It’s best if most of the tweets are not about TGP. The purpose is to connect and engage others. Believe it or not, it’s easier than it seems. Let me handle getting the marketing messages out there. The rest of you should focus on gaining influence with others and connecting on a personal level when possible.

Feel free to use the Search feature to find more people to follow on topics you’re interested in (for example, Lyndsey may want to find firm administrators/training coordinators/HR professionals to connect with). Often, if you follow them, they’ll follow you back. Especially if you send them an @message as to why you’re interested in connecting with them. I’m focusing my search on accountants and state societies.

Here are some of the people I am following through RSS feeds:
http://twitter.com/AICPA_JofA
http://twitter.com/AICPANews
http://twitter.com/complianceweek
http://twitter.com/CPA_Trendlines
http://twitter.com/CPALetter_Daily
http://twitter.com/MACPA (Maryland state society)
http://twitter.com/zappos (CEO of Zappos; I love his style)

If any of you have a style like Zappos, do it! He has a ton of followers because he’s a little offbeat and funny. He’s just plain fun to follow and we want people to think about us like that! I can’t pull it off, but if you can, GO FOR IT! This should be fun and not all about business. We want people to like us for US, because we have a great culture and that is an extension of our brand. And the key ingredient is to ADD VALUE whenever possible. Tweet links to interesting websites or other interesting info (Rosenberg stats would be great info to tweet).

You can click on any of those links above and grab their RSS feeds right now. I think that covers everything. Let me know if you have questions or suggestions. Thanks!

Twitter Strategy & Tactics

The Growth Partnership decided to create 4 different Twitter accounts:

1. The Growth Partnership
2. iShade
3. Solo & Small Firms Conference
4. Management Summit

STRATEGY

Our strategy for all 4 accounts is to connect with accounting firms and their staff, state societies, the AICPA, vendors, staff, thought leaders to the profession and media (see Centers of Influence). Additionally, with iShade, we will be connecting with University accounting students and professors. It takes TIME to build up your followers, so don’t be discouraged.

TACTICS

So far, I’ve focused most of my energy on the @TGP4CPAs account. I’ve connected to many of the state societies on iShade so far, but it’s a slow process, especially when social media isn’t your only responsibility as a Marketing Director!

Sadly, Management Summit is our biggest priority because the conference is only 11 weeks away and for some reason, the account was suspended by Twitter. I received a Tweet from Twitter saying that there had been some issues and many accounts were suspended by accident; so we’re working to reinstate the account. Maybe I’ll just create another account with a different name? I’m getting tired of waiting and I have big plans for marketing the conference starting next week and Twitter is a major part of that. We have 100 comp tickets to Phantom of the Opera and/or Blue Man Group (we’re staying at the Venetian) and we’ll be giving those away through our Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts.

See? Not everything goes as smoothly as you plan and sometimes you have to get creative. I’ll probably create a new account for Management Summit today so we can get moving.

Okay, so once I set up my Twitter accounts I did the following:

1. Went to “Settings” and completed our profile including Bio and photo upload.
2. Designed a custom background different for each account and showing pictures of the 6 people who will be tweeting on behalf of TGP
3. Designed Twitter Follow buttons to put on this blog, our website, and anywhere else I can get them.
4. Sent instructions to our 6 Twitter users on how to access our accounts, Twitter tutorials and Twitter etiquette.
5. Downloaded the “Tweetie” app to my iPhone so I can manage all 4 accounts on my phone (if you have an iPhone, this app is awesome!)
6. Slowly but surely, we’re beginning to tweet away.

Tomorrow, I will post the instructions I sent our staff.

***I created a new Twitter account for Management Summit and it is linked above.

Get Ready, Get Set, Go! Planning

There are SO MANY things you want to plan out before you actually dive in and start blogging or tweeting, etc. Here is a quick list of accounts you should create:

Google Analytics (http://www.google.com/analytics)
Bit.ly (http://bit.ly)
Blogspot (http://www.blogspot.com)
Feedburner (http://www.feedburner.com)
Twitter (http://twitter.com)
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com)
LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com
YouTube (http://www.youtube.com)

Google Analytics allows you to track the traffic to any site you plug the java script into, including your website and blog. Set up your account, provide your web address and blog address, and it will provide a separate code for each in order to start tracking. The site provides instructions.

Bit.ly is a URL shortener AND tracks click thrus for all links dumped in to your account (a URL shortener is critical for Twitter because of the 140 character limit). It saves the shortened link for future use, and gives you a current click thru rate for all links you have shortened. Combined with Google Analytics, these are your best tools for providing quantifiable results.

I like Blogspot for creating a blog, and I like blogs for two reasons. One, you can position yourself as an expert and two, it is unobtrusive to the consumer. If you haven’t learned this yet, the consumer is in control. I have always had low success rates with newsletters because to some extent, they are interruptive and it’s easy for the client/consumer to just click “delete” without even reading it. Blogs, however, allow interested readers to grab RSS feeds and are not interruptive in nature; the consumer is inviting you and your content into their readership. This is key!

Speaking of RSS, once you create your blog you need to create an RSS feed; Feedburner is fantastic for this and because it’s a Google product (along with Analytics and Blogspot), you only need one username and password to access all three. Feedburner will walk you through the simple process.

Next, create your Twitter account(s). You can only use one email address per account, so if you plan to have multiple accounts, use your coworkers email addresses (I created 4 accounts and assigned 3 to coworkers, but provided everyone with the username/passwords to access all 4 accounts for tweeting purposes). You must decide who will tweet on behalf of your firm; you, or multiple people. We have 6 people tweeting on behalf of TGP, so check out our Twitter pages to see how transparent we are about “who is behind the curtain”. Again, transparency and full disclosure is very important with social media. Why? Because how can you build relationships if you don’t know who you’re connecting with?

One very important Twitter tip: once you create your account(s), make sure you go back into the Settings section and complete your bio and upload a photo. Without one or both, people will be less likely to follow you out of fear that you may be a spammer. Be transparent. You also have the option to create a custom background by uploading any graphic you like; this is also a good idea because it will help you further brand your firm. Check out our accounts for examples:

http://twitter.com/TGP4CPAs
http://twitter.com/i_Shade

While you’re creating your Twitter graphics, you should also consider creating any additional graphics such as Twitter “follow me” buttons, etc. On your website or blog, you can link the graphic directly to the Twitter homepage to make it easy for readers to follow you.

Also set up your Facebook fanbook page and/or group, LinkedIn firm profile and/or group, and a YouTube channel if you plan to use video. Every single link URL you use to promote any of your sites should be entered into Bit.ly first so you can accurately track click thrus.

If you’re unsure of how to do any of these things, first consult the “Help” page on the site. You can also email me at kgentry@thegrowthpartnership.com and I’ll be happy to try to answer your questions. I'm NOT an IT specialist; in fact, I would argue that to some extent, I'm technologically challenged. So if I can do it, you can do it! And I encourage you to do it...it's a fantastic way to build brand awareness for your firm and generate web traffic and conversations about your business.

On tomorrow's blog, I'll detail our Twitter set up. Still working on Facebook and LinkedIn...

Introduction

Hi and welcome! I’m very excited about this blog and I hope you’ll follow me for the ride. I just started as the Director of Marketing for The Growth Partnership, and a major initiative we’re taking on is social media marketing. I have some experience in this area (see my personal website or blog), and so I’m excited about this journey.

What’s most exciting for me is that I want to take you along. I will be blogging my way through all of our strategies and tactics for increasing web traffic and business. We’re a little unique because we’ll be marketing more than just our services (which include consulting/outsourced marketing, lead generation services and learning/training which includes The Partner Institute), but also a couple of conferences that we manage, including the upcoming Solo & Small Firm Conference and Management Summit. These will be fun because I’ll demonstrate how to incorporate a delicate balance of adding value to your followers, marketing your services, and incorporating trivia and contests to get your audience’s attention.

My next blog post will be on planning. This is no time for “Ready, Fire, Aim”. Planning before execution is an important strategic step in launching a social media campaign. My goal with this blog is to document my processes so that you may follow them in order to create your own social media campaign. I will report successes and failures so you can learn from them as we do (hopefully there’ll be significantly more successes than failures!). I look forward to your comments throughout this journey. Leave them in the comment box below or email me directly at kgentry@thegrowthpartnership.com.

I have completed my planning for implementation and am currently in the process of creating all of our pages and the corresponding graphics. The RSS feed is set so you can grab that, and the Twitter pages for TGP4CPAs and iShade are ready, so please click on those links and begin following us (see right column). The Management Summit and Solo & Small Firm Conference Twitter pages are live and you can begin following us, but I am still working on our graphics and hope to have those complete in the next day or two. Facebook and LinkedIn are next on the list. So stay tuned and enjoy the ride!