Handle With Care: Your Social Media Community is Your Baby



In my experience managing social media communities for brands, I've noticed an almost parental bond that develops within a social media community manager.

Your social media community is your baby: care for it, nurture it, love it, and watch it grow.

Here's how:
Name your baby & Get it dressed.
Do not leave your baby naked with no profile image or description. Naming your social media profiles and making sure they are consistent with the brand is very important for first impressions when it's time for your baby to make friends.

Think, first day of school: the profile description, images, and colors you choose all say something about your brand's community. Make sure the "look, feel, and voice" are consistent with print materials, web and email graphics and copy, videos, and all brand elements. Always be aware of what impression you are making with your brand in social media.

Social Media Integration Checklist: Linking Your Way to More Liking

Once you have your social media profiles established and have built an audience with some community interaction, make sure you are well and consistently branded across all social networks, and then integrate the ability to connect in every marketing function and every customer touch point.

First, you have to think like a customer: where do they see, touch, hear, and interact with your brand? Make a checklist of everything, separating online and offline.

Remember, to KISS (keep it simple, silly marketer) the easier you make it for your customers to connect to your brand, the more likely they will be to do so.

"Newbie" Twitter Networking & Branding Ideas

I am often asked how to get started on Twitter or how to use Twitter for branding and business development. There's no quick fix. It takes time and dedication. Every "Twitter bird" is a little hesitant to leave the nest before taking flight.

I realize not everyone is naturally social media savvy. I'm sharing my ideas so that we may be "birds of a feather" in the Twittersphere.

1. First things first, learn the terms.
Retweet (RT), Hashtag, Follow, etc. It's a language of its own. Here's a great Twitter Dictionary as a guide: Mediabestro's "The Essential Twitter Dictionary"

2. Pick your dashboard for organizing tweets, scheduling tweets, and setting up alerts.
TweetDeck and HootSuite are the most common and they have phone apps, so you will never miss a Tweet. I use HootSuite.

I have a *Marketing* dream

Monday was Martin Luther King JR Day, which made me think about dreams, my dreams. Not to steal MLK's thunder, but I also have a dream. We all have dreams.

My dream is definately more career focused than most of my friends. I'm not a singer or an athlete. My talent lies in networking and marketing. I feel that I have a talent for marketing that could be use in a larger capacity. Right now, I'm not exactly sure how.

I know I want to make a difference. I want to help people. I enjoy networking and connecting people to others that could benefit them. I dream about making an impact through marketing on a national, even global scale. I want to be a part of somethng that is bigger than just me.

Nashville #PREDS Marketing Wins

This week, I attended an ad industry event hosted by Ad 2 Nashville and AAF Nashville, featuring a speaker from the Nashville Predators (Preds) Professional Ice Hockey Team's marketing department.

Chris Parker, Executive Vice President, Chief Sales and Marketing for the Nashville Predators, spoke about keeping a professional sports team relevant during a lockout and how the team has stayed top-of mind with fans through promotions, social media, and community engagement.

So, how does an NHL team stay relevant in a lockout? Well, Chris admitted- it's no secret that you can't bring the game to the fans, which is really what the experience is all about - But you can have a plan in place that connects with the community and says "the team is still here, and we are a part of the community."

The Preds had a plan: Manage community expectations on and off the ice through fan and season ticket-holder events, sponsorship contests, charity events...And the best marketing idea of all: Do what they do best- Make Some Noise, Give the Fans a Show!

"Nashville Predators SMASHMOB" video was a hit!  The Nashville Predators surprised a youth hockey game by bringing the full NHL experience to the rink. The families and kids were stunned to see and hear the NHL announcer, Paul McCann, the national anthem, Gnash, and about 250 fans take over the game. Oh, and then they put it on YouTube and promoted the heck out of it via social media. (GO PREDS!!!)

The Preds show how even in a lockout, hockey lives...in the hopes of the little players. It's all about the experience. Bravo to the Preds for showing that in this video.

Their video got national attention! Another marketing win.
Sports.Yahoo.Com/Nashville Predators ‘Smashmob’ surprises youth hockey teams, becomes viral hit

Yes, it was a marketing move, but it was a good one that literally brought me to tears when I watched it. That's just good marketing. Telling a story. Evoking emotion. A win.

And guess what? #hockeyisback! That video will stay with me as I'm cheering on the #preds this season. It's all about creating memorable experiences. GO PREDS!!!