Getting Social at Mastro:

A Quick Guide of the Top

Trends in Social Media Today

Why Social Media?

The goal of social media is to have engaging, two-way conversation. If the audience can feel valued or involved, they will more likely interact with you via social media.

Your involved audience can also further your outreach by promoting your brand through “word-of-mouth.”

New/Social/Alternative Media

Bypass the “gatekeeper” Control your content but cannot control

others Maintain transparency Target niche audiences

What Hasn’t Changed

Communicate Effectively Influence Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behavior Create Content Form Relationships Drive Discussion

Facebook

Strategy

This is the most commonly used social media tool and is the easiest way to reach people.

Features allow you to customize your page as much as possible to solidify your client’s brand in line with the other social media sites and the client’s website.

Post multimedia to involve fans in multiple ways.

Types of Posts

Relevant Marketing Content Ex: “Come buy our product for $X”

Customer Centric Content Ex: “How was your weekend?”

Relevant Marketing and Customer Centric Content Ex: “What was your favorite gift from our store this

weekend?” Customer Service

Ex: Zappos.com

A way to post to your page and their page at the same time, which allows for both your fans and their fans to see it.

You must “like” their page to tag them in a post. By tagging, you have the opportunity to gain more fans

through your association with the page tagged. To tag someone else, you write: @their name. For

example, I would tag Edwin Watts as @Edwin Watts Golf. Once you start typing a name, a menu will appear to select the name.

Tagging Others

Customized Pages

It is important to have a consistent brand on Facebook.

By providing customized pages, you can maintain your brand.

Analytics

Monitor user demographics and post quality. Notice what posts receive the most feedback,

and adjust future posts to model the successful ones.

Suggestions

Offer Facebook exclusives to current fans and new fans.

Encourage current fans to invite new fans; they will be more believable to a third party.

Post once a day or every few days with your own content, but respond quickly at any time to your audience’s posts on your page

Twitter

Strategy

This is the second most popular social media website.

While not as many people use Twitter as Facebook, your client’s followers are more loyal.

This outlet is much better designed for immediate customer interaction. Followers become annoyed when they are spammed constantly with sales. On the other hand, followers really enjoy interaction with the brand.

Twitter Vocabulary Tweet – what every user posts. This appears on your personal page and in

your followers’ news feed. In each tweet, you have 140 characters to say what you need.

Mention – when someone wants to tag you in a post, they use @username to tag you. For example, Edwin Watts is @edwinwattsgolf. If you are tagged in a

tweet, you will be alerted in your “mentions” column on your home page. Direct Message (DM) – this is a private message between two people. You

can only DM people who follow you, but you do not have to follow them back.

Retweet (RT) – When someone wants to say the exact same thing you said and acknowledge you for it. Once retweeted, the tweet will appear in your followers’ news feeds and on your profile. Tweets that are retweeted usually begin with “RT” at the beginning, or will

appear exactly as the original, with the words “retweeted by @username” underneath.

Hashtag (#) – This is a way to aggregate information and conversations. Any person can create a hashtag at any time. It is used with the pound symbol (#) followed by a specific phrase. For example, a Twitter-centric conference called “140 Character

Conference,” uses the hashtag #140conf. Trending Topic – when a hashtag is used by a large number of people, it

will appear on the home page of users. You can also utilize those trending topics to insert yourself into a conversation with a large audience.

Twitter Vocabulary, Continued.

Content

Post at least once a day, if not several times a day. These posts should not always be about the client, but many times can be replying to a consumer.

Converse with people who mention you and/or follow you, sponsors, affiliates, and partners as much as possible.

Post the four types of content. Link to multimedia such as photos, videos,

and other websites.

Hashtags

Listen to what people are saying.

Involve people in a specific conversation.

Insert yourself into conversations that may relate to your product.

Blogs

Overview

There are many different sites that host free blogging services, but the following are the best: Wordpress: made for long, text-based posting and

offers easy customization. Tumblr: Similar to a Twitter-style of posting, but

does not have easy customization.

RSS Readers

Allows a person to follow posts through a news-reading device, rather than directly through the website.

Top RSS Readers are: Google Reader, FeedDemon, RSSReader, AtomFeed. Most blogging platforms will allow you to create an RSS feed easily and for

free.

Video

Video is one of the best ways to create more interesting and engaging content.

Youtube: You can create a channel specifically for your client. You can upload videos, and later embed them in another website, such as your Facebook page or blog. This is a great way to display a mini-series or current advertisements.

UStream: This is a way to have a live broadcast that is available online. It is just like Youtube in that you can have your own channel or embed on a website, but the video content is produced live. This can be used for live events, interviews, or a live TV show.

Location Based Services

This technology is still emerging: only 4% of people world-wide use it, however it is a great way to target young users, usually in cities.

Facebook Places Once of the most promising

LBS because it has the largest potential user base.

Like the others, it allows you to “check in” to places and alerts your friends via Facebook. It currently does not offer deals, but many experts agree it has the potential to eradicate the next three options.

Foursquare This is the most common of the location-

based services. This would be good for a strong community of

people, those driven by deals, and those driven by notoriety.

Allows you to “check in” places and alert your friends via Facebook and Twitter.

Sometimes, these places will have deals associated, such as 50% off all items, if a person checks in on Foursquare.

Depending on the number of check-ins and type of places of check-ins, you can earn badges.

Utilizing the “mayor” position (the person who checks in the most number of times), the client can offer incentives to be the mayor to receive sales and/or recognition.

SCVNGR

Based on being a game, rather than necessarily receiving deals. This is good for a strong community of people, or those driven by deals.

Like a scavenger hunt, you can complete challenges to receive points.

Once you receive a certain amount of points, you can unlock badges that have discount or special deals attached.

Tasks can be selected from SCVNGR’s list, or created to fit client’s brand.

Whrrl Based on others recommending

things for you to do, rather than you exploring yourself.

This would be helpful for a strong community around a client’s brand or image.

You join societies based on where you check in who then recommend certain tasks for you to do.

For example, if you check into Dunkin Donuts, you can join the “Homer’s Society” after Homer Simpson (he loved donuts). By joining this society, you will receive more tips based on the fact that you love donuts.