This week a new re-desigen of Twitter has been slowly rolling out to the public.  The user experience will be getting an upgrade with the launch of Twitter’s enhanced profile page within both the desktop and mobile version of the site.  Four new tabs will give tweeters an enriched experience for following topics of conversation.  A profile landing page design allows for a custom banner area and re-arranges the users profile stats in an easy to locate top header. The Let’s Fly blog from @twitter stated, “What we’re announcing today is just the beginning. We now have a framework in place that we will quickly build and iterate upon to help users connect with whatever is meaningful to them.”    This means a better playground to attract more user engagement, making it a more viable channel for businesses to maintain a presence on as well.   Below is a summary of the features and images from Twitter.

User Experience Overview:

Home – new design layout has changed to include tab navigation, view your Twitter stats, get suggestions on who to follow and see trending topics and Tweets you’re following all on one dashboard.

Connect – a tab dedicated to mentions and interactions where you see who has followed or mentioned you, retweeted or favorited one of your Tweets. 

Discover – a tab for following conversations and hash tags. This view complies content trending in your world based on recent popularity as well as your connections, location and language.

Me – a profile dash board for viewing all things related to your tweets and information. Populate a bio that people can view at a glance, add a photo, share your location, and link to your web site or blog.

Tweet – Upload photos to Twitter right from your mobile phone or desktop. Links to videos and news stories are embedded in your Tweets.

Twitter Background Re-Design:

If you haven’t see the new profile or landing pages it’s only a matter of time before you will.  As accounts are converted over, users will also have access to a new profile page background design.   Twitter background designs previously were very limited to only a left margin area. A new banner area under the profile stats header has been added and can give a business page more options for promoting.  If your business would like ideas on what to promote in that space and the best way to utilize and customize that new design area available, then please contact us for help.

As a community manager working with multiple social channels, it is a challenge to try and create engaging dynamic content, share it, and track it.  After establishing the branding voice (tone), I consider the content format and theme to determine what social media channel will be most receptive to the post.

Create a content calendar in Excel and organize the tabs for posts, tracking, and reporting.  In the post tab, include columns for:

• post date
• social channels
• post content
• post format/type
• category/theme
• tracking link

Creating a category column and adding a keyword to the theme will help identify the post content and aid in keeping messages fresh when you need ideas for future posts.  At a quick glance you can see over time how many videos, images, events, and other post types were shared. Frequency to the social channels and what was posted will become more visible as well.  By organizing the tracking and reporting tabs similarly, you will notice trends in the popularity of  post categories, and the results of how it was re-shared, so you can adjust accordingly when generating new content.

Many social media channels accept dynamic content formats. Focusing on what format the content is posted in will help narrow down the audience, frequency, and what channel to share it with.

• Links – always good to incorporate links from a variety of sources. A thumbnail preview in Facebook can highlight and hyperlink to a web page or article. Also, content that is too extensive for a post can be linked to another source. Social Media tracking should always be included and can be hidden by using a shortened link. 
• Videos – sharing from YouTube with another channel promotes within both communities. It is important to incorporate tags and descriptions to YouTube video’s because they can add SEO value to the content.  Don’t forget the length or size of the video maybe be limited by the channel you are posting too.
• Photos – mobile apps for certain channels tend to focus on photos, so use them as often as possible. Try to embrace tagging people/organizations/pages and include comments to enhance the reach and engagement.
• Slide Shows/Catalogs/Brochures – more professional content is better shared in a channel like SlideShare or Linked In, and then sharing the links with other channels to direct the right traffic to the content.
• Blogs/Articles/Press Releases – starting an account with Tumbler or Dig to share content is great exposure for more informational content.  You can also share the links to these with other social media channels to attract even more traffic across all channels.
• Check-Ins – although it’s a feature within a social channel, including reminders to check in can provide reporting data and better awareness of a physical location. Recently, Google+ integrated businesses on Google Places with the ability to offer Check-In Deals.

While maintaining involvement in multiple channels, a content calendar can provide a general guideline for post creation and help to maintain the branding voice.  The size of your audience should also be considered when selecting a channel.  If your presence on Facebook is larger than Twitter, then the main content stream should be shared with the largest audience first.  Keep in mind, posting is a trial and error process and you will learn from experience.  It is best to be diligent about tracking, monitoring and reporting on what posts are working the best for your audience to keep them engaged.  This will only help you to improve how and what you are sharing over time and in turn grow your social presence.

Do you already have a unique way of organizing your content?  Let us know!

YouTube activated a new channel design that drastically changes how the videos and information is being displayed. Utilizing a more marketable format for promoted videos and advertising, the design primarily changes the layout of the channel page by displaying information about the channel more prominently.  YouTube channels will all eventually be updated to the new design by March, 2012. Listed are the advantages for using the new YouTube channel design.

• Header – a sleek header design has a larger avatar/logo image and channel name, a subscribe button that turns green with a plus sign when rolled over, and the channel stats (subscribers and video views). The emphasis on the stats is great for a quick glance to gauge the channel’s popularity.
• Tabs – re-organized the navigation into Featured, Feed, and Videos.  Edit channel includes template options to organize how the videos, playlists, and channels will display on the Featured tab.  There is an option for selecting a featured video to play in the viewing area and the ability to remove advertising.  Your Feed tab will be updated by your activity on YouTube and you can choose to filter what is shared in the settings.  The Videos tab will display a thumbnail grid view with various sorting options for the videos on the channel.
• Search –a search bar has been added for finding videos specific to that channel. For channels that have a lot videos and users wanting to drill down into old content, this has been a long awaited, much appreciated add-on to the page design.
• Profile Panel – was located below the main video description but now has prime real-estate being positioned higher on the page and in left column replacing the previous video navigation.  This area first displays the channel description, URLs, social media icons (hyperlinked), and other details can also be seen, however you can select what you’d like to show via the edit button.   Featured channels can also be added to highlight partner channels or related channels to your field of expertise.

There are a lot of articles circulating about the benefits of mobile advertising. In fact, many companies and brands are embracing mobile advertising and seeing impressive results. However, the mobile advertising market hasn’t been cornered by one particular vendor and some are wondering if Facebook is going to join the mobile scene.

Facebook is recognized as one of the top social media sites. Plus, numerous businesses appreciate the advance targeting features that are available in Facebook such as demographics, interests, connections, etc. Some would like to use these advanced settings to reach the mobile market. This means businesses would already be prepared to pay Facebook to reach their respective audience. Another plus is that people use their cell phones to check on their Facebook accounts already, so it’s not like Facebook would have to entice anyone to go on their site via a mobile device. They also, have loads of mobile user data at their fingertips. According to an article on CNET, “Facebook already has access to data of a large mobile user base”… Facebook says nearly half of its nearly 800 million users already log in via mobile devices, giving the network momentum in a market estimated to be worth $630 million.” 

Facebook seems to be in a great position to join the mobile market, and despite rumors that they will be offering mobile advertising soon, Facebook has declined to speak about the matter.  Many businesses will benefit if Facebook gives them the ability to run mobile ads.  The ball is in their court to enable mobile ads and only time will tell how they’ll proceed.

If you have a smartphone or tablet then you are already using apps everyday to perform any number of tasks from online banking to reading the news. If you have a Facebook account, you are probably using apps there, too. Apps in Facebook are the marketing tool for engaging and growing the audience of your company page. There are numerous Facebook apps available.  Below are just a few types of Facebook apps that you can develop or use to make your company page more robust. 

Integrate non-Facebook social media channels – other social media channels can be added as “tabs” to your Facebook page.  If you are posting to channels like YouTube and Twitter, you can combine that content on your company page via an app. Check out the apps that are available for YouTube and Twitter.  

Contests – apps for any kind of contest or giveaway can be custom developed, purchased, or found for free.  Consider using a fun app like the “fan of the week” app and reward the winner with a prize to keep fans coming back to your page.

Products – developers can create a shopping cart app that fans can access for exclusive deals or purchase directly from your online store without ever leaving your company page.

Contacts- gathering contact information can be as easy as adding a contact us form to your page.  Consider a “Request a Quote”, or “Sign Up Today” as a call to action for the title of tab for your app.

Customized – creating a customized app that fans can add to their pages for anything from trivia to coupons will build brand awareness and target niche audiences. Potentially this can generate new visitors when existing fans share updates from the app.

There are so many variations of apps that you can use within Facebook.  Many apps are free; making Facebook a one-stop environment with everything you can imagine doing online.  These powerful social marketing tools will continue to become more important when enhancing your EdgeRank.  With that in mind, what apps will you use to keep your audience engaged?

A quick look at several of the corporate pages on Facebook can reveal a number of sparse, even abandoned looking pages. Maintaining your corporate Facebook page with interesting content can be tough. But if you have good ideas, content will flow naturally. Here are a few tips you can use to liven up your Facebook page and connect with your users.

Giveaways: These are perhaps one of the most common types of consumer engagement for companies on Facebook. However, there are all sorts of twists you can add to them to stand out in people’s news feeds. Invite users to try and come up with creative captions to pictures you post, or have them submit a story about using your products. By asking your users to answer a call to action to be eligible for the giveaway, you have the opportunity to learn more about them and how to market to them.

A Company Exposé: Loyal customers will be keen to learn more about your company. Post “behind-the-scenes” photos and videos, share comments from employees, or talk about the founding of the company. Use your posts to tell a story. This will humanize your brand – making your company trustworthy, authentic, and relatable.

Industry Specific Updates: Being able to comment on developments in your industry helps establish you as a trustworthy authority. You can post:

• How-to guides
• Trivia about your company/industry
• Breaking news
• Third-party content (when relevant)
• Guest experts to speak about your company/industry
• Industry specific advice

Keeping a lively Facebook page is all about posting content that gets your fans to interact with you. By maintaining this type of engagement, you’ll have your finger on the pulse of what your target audience thinks of your brand and its products.

LinkedIn (www.LinkedIn.com) isn’t just for job seekers.  Over 120 million members makes LinkedIn the world’s largest professional network; a network your firm could use in a variety of different ways:

• Establishing a Professional Presence: By including information about your firm as a LinkedIn Company Page, users of the social network can learn more about your firm on the medium of their choice and then move to other off-site mediums, such as your website, if they choose.  Additionally, as lawyers in your firm grow their professional profiles, they have the opportunity to add sections that could include slide presentations, blog posts, or other content that would help inform visitors to their professional profile about your firm. 
• Resource & Knowledge Center (Groups): Groups on LinkedIn is a wonderful way for a firm to interact with those in an industry.  Individuals from your firm can ask questions, look through members interested in the same area as your firm, add job postings, and more.
• Social Networking: The lawyers in your firm can network with other users who may seek legal services.  Be careful to abide by any restraints on who you may network with by checking with The Bar Association in your area.  Additionally, your firm can use LinkedIn to network with colleagues, perhaps those in other firms to whom you refer or are referred business.
• Link Building: As the lawyers in your firm build professional profiles, they can post content including links back to your website or blog.  Their connections could read these posts and see the links and choose to link to your content.
• Hiring: LinkedIn, with their built in Job section, is a wonderful way to connect with those looking for opportunities in the field of law.

The LinkedIn Learning Center has a User Guide specifically devoted to helping individual attorneys as well as law firms to take advantage of all of the opportunities LinkedIn has to offer.  If you are interested in growing your social media presence or hearing how MoreVisibility can help you grow on LinkedIn, please request a quote or contact us for more information.

Nearly every large and successful company employs a number of SEO initiatives to stay successful. However, in many cases they can get a large number of conversions simply because of their brand name. On a deeper level, this is symbolic of the fact that these companies have authority – they are leaders in their industry.

You can do a lot to establish trust and authority for your business through the right kind of engagement on almost any social media site. LinkedIn, in particular, is a stellar example that often gets overlooked. Many professionals view the site as a way to keep tabs on their colleagues, but it is probably the best website you can use to increase your clout and authority in your given field.

Obviously, one of the best ways to establish yourself and your business as an authority is to answer the pressing questions in your industry. LinkedIn has the perfect venue for this with their Answers page. On Answers, members can post questions related to any given field of expertise. When you answer a question, your answer may be selected as a “Best Answer,” which is noted on your profile. By consistently answering questions related to your field, you can quickly build authority in your field among your target demographic.

In addition to Answers, you should also be interacting with your profile page by posting relevant company updates. If you author any blogs or press releases for your company, post them to your profile to get them to spread around. If you write prolifically enough on behalf of your industry, you may be able to become a Source on LinkedIn. If LinkedIn selects you to be a source, your writing will appear in LinkedIn Today – which has the potential to vastly multiply your traffic. If you’re interested in being a source, you must contact LinkedIn.

These efforts to build authority require a significant time investment on your part, so they may not be a fit for every company. However, the payoff can be significant.

When people like something they normally tell their friends. Many businesses would agree that word of mouth advertising is incredibly powerful as well. In fact, a satisfied customer can be one of the greatest assets to a company.  Social share buttons are the online version of word of mouth. This brings back the question of “where’s your social share button?”

Social share buttons allow users to share relevant information with their friends and associates. Many businesses don’t always see the value of the share button, but it definitely helps. The social share button is not about joining the social media bandwagon; it’s about getting relevant information to a greater number of people. Social share buttons should be located in obvious areas on your website where relevant information is located. Relevant information includes blogs, white papers, newsletters, and more.

When someone is reading quality information on a business website, they should have the option to share it with their social media circle. People want to share information of value with others, which is an added benefit to businesses. It’s literally free advertising. Want more proof that social share buttons work?  A study done by BrightEdge mentioned in an eMarketer article states that, “On average, a website without a Twitter share button was mentioned four times, while a site with a tweet button was mentioned 27 times. Including a Twitter plugin button increased mentions on Twitter almost sevenfold.”  

Social share buttons shouldn’t be underestimated by businesses, especially if that business produces a lot of written content that can and should be shared with others. Adding a share button doesn’t take a whole lot of time and the benefits should definitely outweigh the time it takes to add it.  If your business wants to share more info with others, social share buttons should be considered.

You can use your LinkedIn profile for much more than managing your professional connections. By starting a LinkedIn Group and engaging your professional community, you can also have a small but solid link building campaign.

LinkedIn Groups are special pages that anyone can set up on LinkedIn. They gather like-minded professionals to discuss their respective industries. LinkedIn Groups foster a lot of interaction among professionals and are a good starting approach to link building.

When you are starting your own group, you must keep in mind that LinkedIn hosts hundreds of thousands of groups. If you want yours to stand out and gain members, you should try to target a niche theme or audience. If your group is too similar to the others pertaining to your business, you may not gain much traction.

When you start a new group, you become the group’s manager – allowing you to do things such as moderating discussion posts or approving new members. More importantly, you also have more control for displaying your links. There are a lot of link building options you have when you’ve started the group, including:

• Putting your website link in the “about this group” section
• Sending a weekly message to the group with a relevant link
• Adding your site to the RSS feed in the News Section
• Creating a discussion and including your link (as the group manager, you have some automatic credibility so you can post your links a little more frequently).

By maintaining an active group that contributes to the professional community, your posted links can get a lot of traffic. Furthermore, if you’ve developed your group to target a specific audience or demographic, you’ll be getting meaningful traffic – and hopefully, higher conversion rates.