by Scott Howard | Apr 1, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
Last week I was part of the Social Marketing Breakfast of Fort Wayne panel and mentioned something I didn’t cover in this article.
The life of a tweet is shorter than a fruitfly. If you have a piece of evergreen content, it’s okay to Tweet it more than once.
The example I used at #SMBFW was an infographic that was timeless and here’s what I told the group…
It’s okay, and recommended to share content more than once and to schedule it. However use an unpredictable schedule. I have a tweet that I scheduled to be posted every 23 days and 14 hours. Weird? Yes. Unpredictable? Yes, unless you knew my “secret sauce”.
Why 23 days and 14 hours?
Staggering the time it would appear. 21 days = 3 weeks. Add a couple of days so it doesn’t fall on the same day of the week as the last time it was posted. Same principle with the 14 hours instead of 12 or 24.
For more ideas from others including my 2 co-panelists, Search the #SMBFW Hashtag on Twitter. No Foolin’
by Scott Howard | Mar 25, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
Today I am honored to be on a panel at the Social Marketing Breakfast of Fort Wayne with two friends, Andy Welfle and Sheryl Brown.
It’s been a couple of years since I was on a panel at this monthly event and a LOT has changed in the social media world, my world and my perspective on all of this.
Because the breakfast is a fast paced event with 3 of us, I never know for sure exactly what we’ll have time to share or what direction the conversation will take us.
What qualifies me for even being on this panel? Great question and you’d have to ask the breakfast organizer, Kevin Mullett for an accurate answer. However my background is as follows:
- Jumped into Social Media 10 years ago with a couple of blogs, one personal, one related to my professional life in media and marketing. Expanded to 5 or 6 blogs and was posting between 30 and 50 articles a week between them all on a part-time basis while working in the advertising business that had nothing to do with social media. My background was radio advertising.
- Those multiple blogs were consolidated into one website/blog in 2011 when I joined a website development firm in Fort Wayne.
- I spent most of last year working for a top internet retailer handling all of their social media including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, blogs, Instagram, along with Public Relations for 5 brands. While I recruited a couple of my co-workers in our eCommerce Marketing Department to help out, I was overseeing all of it and producing over 97% of the content.
- I still maintain that one personal website/blog. You are reading it right now. I’ve limited myself to no more than one update a day.
- I am posting to Facebook daily, Twitter multiple times a day, LinkedIn and Instagram regularly and a few other social sites occasionally.
- I am back working in the radio advertising and marketing world and have access to our sister company which provides a whole slew of web and interactive services that I know are an excellent value.
So here are my 7 tips and a couple links that we may or may not cover today:
1. Plan ahead. Last year when I was working for Shindigz (the internet based retailer), I was posting 3 times a day on Facebook with appropriate content. By Friday, I knew what most of my Facebook posts were going to be for the next week. Same thing with Pinterest where I would add up to 75 pins each week.
2. Put your best out there and always look for ways to improve in the future. Make sure your images are optimized for the platform they are going to be used on. Check sizes and monitor how they appear on desktops, laptops, tablets and mobile apps via smart phones. Only use images that you have rights to use. Brand with your logo. Include clickable links. Use shortened urls that include tracking codes. Stay on top of changes coming to Facebook and other social platforms.
3. Fix mistakes. Use the edit button. We are going to screw up. It could be the wrong version of the word, “to”. Fix it in the post not just in a comment.
4. Coordinate with other departments. At Shindigz, I would work with our eCommerce Graphic Designer who was responsible for weekly updates on our web page. I also worked with our email marketer including sometimes using the same images he used in his email blasts. I also coordinated with our video journalist to include and promote what she was doing. After awhile it was pretty easy to come up with 15 to 18 Facebook posts every week.
5. When doing Social Media Marketing for a company or organization, remember who you are talking & use language that is targeted to them. I had to adopt the mindset of a 35 year old woman with a flair for fun and who was passionate about her kids and family. (I am not a 35 year old woman.)
6. When doing Social Media for yourself, be yourself. We appreciate an honest and open look at your world. However also remember that what ever you place online is available for the world to see, so be cautious too. Be mature.
7. Seek Answers and Advice. I subscribed to a few newsletters, blogs and also would reach out to others for ideas and wisdom. Sometimes we need help getting started with ideas. This week Jill Konrath shared a link to an ebook from Hubspot. The title is Content Hacks, 34 Tips and Tricks for Planning and Creating Content. It’s free and you can get it here.
Like I mentioned, I know that all of this information will not be covered in the 45 minutes of this weeks Social Marketing Breakfast Fort Wayne gathering, but now you have my 2 cents for future reference.
by Scott Howard | Mar 5, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
Yesterday I shared a piece about developing friendships in a social media world and the summary is that social media is not a substitute for other forms of communication, especially when you are wanting to build deeper relationships.
However…
As I was writing that article, I decided to check on the status of a friend who had been ill and hospitalized.
I checked his Facebook page and sure enough, he passed away the day before and people were leaving lots of comments.
I recall a few short years ago when my wife and I were visiting one of her brothers, that his father in law was not home and we asked, “Where’s Joe?” The answer was, “He died a few months ago. I posted it on Facebook.” We thought that was ridiculous, it deserved an email or a phone call.
But now we have come to expect social media to be as valid a communication tool as any other.
I just wonder if my funeral will be posted on Pinterest, Instgram, Vine or all of the above.
by Scott Howard | Feb 12, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
From the ScLoHo archives , this was originally published in March 2008. Now, nearly 6 years later, what changes have occurred in trust, privacy, and online shopping?
8 years ago, my 68 year old mother did not trust the internet for shopping. She was afraid of giving out her credit card number even over a secure connection. Yet she would freely and without hesitation give her info to a person over the phone when she placed a catalog order over a toll free phone number.
It may have been her generation, but what it really was that prevented her from shopping over the internet, was her comfort level. It was a new and scary proposition for her compared to her previous experience. She was not alone and still there are many that have that fear. Don’t try and convince them, instead reach out to those that are already comfortable with e-commerce.
Here’s a study that came in my email this week:
Revealing Personal Information Still Inhibits Online Shopping
According to a Pew Internet Project survey, released in February, 2008, most online Americans view online shopping as a way to save time and a convenient way to buy products. At the same time, most internet users express discomfort over sending personal or credit card information over the internet.
- 78% of online Americans agree that shopping online is convenient.
- 68% of online Americans say they think online shopping saves them time.
- 75% of Internet users agree with the statement that they do not like sending personal or credit card information over the internet.
John B. Horrigan, Associate Director of the Pew Internet Project and author of the report, says “These inconsistent notions about the online shopping environment show that… people’s confidence in the security of online shopping remains as an issue… “
More specifically, the report says:
- If the three-quarters of internet users who agree that they don’t like sending personal or credit card information online felt more confident about doing this, the share of the internet population shopping online would be 7 percentage points higher than the current average of 66%, or 73%.
- If those who disagree that online shopping is convenient felt otherwise, the share of the internet population shopping online would be 3 percentage points higher than the current average (or 69% instead of 66%)
- If those who disagree that online shopping saves time believed that they could save time by e-shopping, the share of the online population shopping online would be 2 percentage points higher than the current average (or 68% instead of 66%).
- Higher broadband deployment would also drive up the size of the e-shopper cohort by 6 percentage points.
These estimates above are independent effects, notes the report, showing the impact when the factors noted above, as well as other demographic and socio-economic impacts are held constant. The study finds that demographic factors such as race or gender have no significant impact on predicting levels of online shopping.
The report finds that two-thirds of online Americans have at one time bought a product online, and estimates that the share of internet users buying products online could be as much as 3 percentage points higher, or 69% if online Americans did not have such high levels of concern about personal or credit card information on the internet. Low-income Americans are most likely to express concerns about providing personal information online, and least likely to see time-savings or convenience in e-commerce.
- Among internet users in homes with annual incomes below $25,000 annually, 44% strongly agree that they don’t like sending credit card information online, twice the 22% share that strongly agrees that online shopping is convenient.
- For those in households with annual incomes above $100,000, 25% say they strongly agree that they don’t like sending credit card information over the internet for online transactions, while 36% strongly agree that online shopping is convenient.
Horrigan said, “…many (low-income people) see risk in the world of e-commerce, not convenience, so they avoid online shopping applications that might help them manage their lives.”
In broad terms, the report found that:
- The number of Americans who have ever bought anything online has more than doubled since 2000, from 22% in June 2000 to 49% in September 2007. That amounts to 66% of Americans with internet access who have bought products online.
- People are more likely to do background research on a product than execute the purchase online; some 60% of all Americans say they have used the internet for product-related research in September 2007, up from 35% who had done this in June 2000.
- Some 39% of Americans now say that they have used the internet for banking, up from 27% in February 2005.
- For online classifieds such as Craig’s List, 24% of Americans report having used them in the September 2007 survey, an increase from 14% who said this in February 2005.
| Attitudes About Online Shopping: By Household Income (% of internet users in each age group who “strongly agree” with statement) |
|
< $25K |
$25K-$40K |
$40K-$60K |
$60K-$100K |
> $100K |
| Upside of online shopping |
| The internet is the best place to buy items that are hard to find |
26%
|
23%
|
25%
|
28%
|
32%
|
| Shopping online is convenient |
22
|
24
|
22
|
28
|
36
|
| Shopping online saves me time |
19
|
19
|
18
|
24
|
31
|
| The internet is the best place to find bargains |
12
|
10
|
8
|
8
|
13
|
| Downside of online shopping |
| I don’t like giving my credit card number or personal information online |
44%
|
32%
|
36%
|
35%
|
25%
|
| I prefer to see the things I buy before I buy them |
39
|
24
|
32
|
26
|
22
|
| Shopping online is complicated |
6
|
4
|
5
|
4
|
2
|
| Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, September 2007 |
For additional information and access to a PDF file, please visit PEW here.
According to a Pew Internet Project survey, released in February, 2008, most online Americans view online shopping as a way to save time and a convenient way to buy products. At the same time, most internet users express discomfort over sending personal or credit card information over the internet.
- 78% of online Americans agree that shopping online is convenient.
- 68% of online Americans say they think online shopping saves them time.
- 75% of Internet users agree with the statement that they do not like sending personal or credit card information over the internet.
John B. Horrigan, Associate Director of the Pew Internet Project and author of the report, says “These inconsistent notions about the online shopping environment show that… people’s confidence in the security of online shopping remains as an issue… “
More specifically, the report says:
- If the three-quarters of internet users who agree that they don’t like sending personal or credit card information online felt more confident about doing this, the share of the internet population shopping online would be 7 percentage points higher than the current average of 66%, or 73%.
- If those who disagree that online shopping is convenient felt otherwise, the share of the internet population shopping online would be 3 percentage points higher than the current average (or 69% instead of 66%)
- If those who disagree that online shopping saves time believed that they could save time by e-shopping, the share of the online population shopping online would be 2 percentage points higher than the current average (or 68% instead of 66%).
- Higher broadband deployment would also drive up the size of the e-shopper cohort by 6 percentage points.
These estimates above are independent effects, notes the report, showing the impact when the factors noted above, as well as other demographic and socio-economic impacts are held constant. The study finds that demographic factors such as race or gender have no significant impact on predicting levels of online shopping.
The report finds that two-thirds of online Americans have at one time bought a product online, and estimates that the share of internet users buying products online could be as much as 3 percentage points higher, or 69% if online Americans did not have such high levels of concern about personal or credit card information on the internet. Low-income Americans are most likely to express concerns about providing personal information online, and least likely to see time-savings or convenience in e-commerce.
- Among internet users in homes with annual incomes below $25,000 annually, 44% strongly agree that they don’t like sending credit card information online, twice the 22% share that strongly agrees that online shopping is convenient.
- For those in households with annual incomes above $100,000, 25% say they strongly agree that they don’t like sending credit card information over the internet for online transactions, while 36% strongly agree that online shopping is convenient.
Horrigan said, “…many (low-income people) see risk in the world of e-commerce, not convenience, so they avoid online shopping applications that might help them manage their lives.”
In broad terms, the report found that:
- The number of Americans who have ever bought anything online has more than doubled since 2000, from 22% in June 2000 to 49% in September 2007. That amounts to 66% of Americans with internet access who have bought products online.
- People are more likely to do background research on a product than execute the purchase online; some 60% of all Americans say they have used the internet for product-related research in September 2007, up from 35% who had done this in June 2000.
- Some 39% of Americans now say that they have used the internet for banking, up from 27% in February 2005.
- For online classifieds such as Craig’s List, 24% of Americans report having used them in the September 2007 survey, an increase from 14% who said this in February 2005.
| Attitudes About Online Shopping: By Household Income (% of internet users in each age group who “strongly agree” with statement) |
|
< $25K |
$25K-$40K |
$40K-$60K |
$60K-$100K |
> $100K |
| Upside of online shopping |
| The internet is the best place to buy items that are hard to find |
26%
|
23%
|
25%
|
28%
|
32%
|
| Shopping online is convenient |
22
|
24
|
22
|
28
|
36
|
| Shopping online saves me time |
19
|
19
|
18
|
24
|
31
|
| The internet is the best place to find bargains |
12
|
10
|
8
|
8
|
13
|
| Downside of online shopping |
| I don’t like giving my credit card number or personal information online |
44%
|
32%
|
36%
|
35%
|
25%
|
| I prefer to see the things I buy before I buy them |
39
|
24
|
32
|
26
|
22
|
| Shopping online is complicated |
6
|
4
|
5
|
4
|
2
|
| Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, September 2007 |
For additional information and access to a PDF file, please visit PEW here.
by Scott Howard | Jan 28, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
I watched this video over the weekend and pretty much agree with what he says.
Last year when my full time paying job was social media manager, I saw this shift and the impact on business first hand.
A couple of points to keep in mind.
Facebook didn’t become popular as a social media because of the advertising and marketing options for business. It became popular as a communication tool for people, you and me.
My opinion: Facebook becoming a publicly traded company has (and will continue) to ruin Facebook. Now they have to answer to the stock market traders which increases the pressure to churn out a profit by doing the things mentioned in the video.
Another point:
You need to create your own online web presence and this goes beyond Facebook and other Social Media platforms, because you don’t own your Social Media presence, you merely rent it. And Facebook along with the others will change to make more money, or they will disappear due to lack of funds.
Buy a domain.
Create a website with that domain.
Then use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. to promote your online presence.
Anyone remember MySpace?
Enough said.
by Scott Howard | Jan 23, 2014 | ScLoHo's Web World
As a follow up to the 3 Social Media Tips I’ve shared with you this month, I have a Twitter Tip for Businesses.
First off, did you catch my comments that Twitter is often best used as a customer service tool instead of a promotion tool for most businesses, like the one I worked for last year?
Recently I had an example of how this works in my life.
I was getting ready to paint a couple of walls at home and I decided to check in @Lowes on FourSquare and share it on my Twitter account.
They responded back to me on Twitter even though I was not asking them anything.
Take a look:
This made me feel good. Here’s why:
- 1st off this was not likely an automated message. How do I know? Because they used my first name, not just my Twitter handle.
- 2nd is it was engaging. They asked a question and offered help. I did not need any help, but here they were, using my favorite social media platform (Twitter) and being nice.
Now I also suspect that the rest of the Tweet, the part after my name, was a canned response that they copy and paste, but who cares. I sometimes use canned emails in my own marketing that I personalize for each recipient.
They also get props for being timely. I checked in on FourSquare as I was waiting for my paint. They tweeted back at me in less than 3 minutes.
Recently I sent a tweet to a local business asking a question and it took 3 weeks for them to respond. Not good.
Take away lesson for business: Monitor your Twitter account and also use it to provide customer service to your customers.
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