Selecting the Right Social Network

I was recently asked by by one of our account managers: "How do you select which social networks to participate, and which tools to use?" In dashing off a return email it dawned on us that this was information that might be useful to our readers:

Every client has objectives, assets, a target audience, goals and things they want to achieve as part of their marketing mix. Our channel selection is based on our ongoing knowledge of the channels and the participation of the clients target audience, what they want to achieve, the clients limitations (like time, resources and security issues), plus the clients brand personality. Often we look at existing or proposed PR efforts where we can tie-in or grow an audience/community based on what the client already has in the pipe-line.

Social channels lend themselves to different clients, for example: if a client has a wealth of pre-existing video content then YouTube is a possibility, if they want to deliver quick local news to a dedicated audience, if they have a rich arts based cultural following then Facebook and event based booking channels might be a must, or if they are 'local' and a physical place then geo-positioning tools may be an option, the list goes on.

Often decisions like this come from listening. What are people saying in a channel about the brand or company, or their rivals? Are they being listened to? Is there an opportunity to gather support and a community, for fun and community not for broadcasting a message? There may not be a need for a 'John Smith Bacon' Facebook Page right now, but there may well be a call for a 'We <3 Bacon Sandwiches" Page, sponsored by John Smith Bacon.

Every client is different. There are a lot of variables. Every client, and every clients community, is unique. Choosing the right channel is all about understanding the client, audience, and the channels we are suggesting. It's about applying our previous experience, creating the channel right (for the future) and then using them properly to build community, listen, and to provide a service.

It sounds so easy when we put it like that, yet a typical social media marketing plan (with research) can take up to a month to get ready for presentation to a client, and we have regular meetings and open dialogue with them every step of the way.

Regarding Blogging...

...oh yeah, I remember now, I have a blog.

Pity it demands more than a daily witticism in 140 characters or a link or two. I wonder if it's writers block, apathy, or just evolution that's keeping me away? It seems like everything I'd want to post here can be summed up in a update on Facebook or a pic sent to Twitpics. I've never been a journalist at heart.

It's not like nothing interesting is going on.

Work with Conversify is still going strong, and the world of social media is throwing up fresh challenges for us daily. Meeting toy soldiers, coffee pirates and costume geeks at Steampunk convivials and Regency dances, and a plethora of real-world social events are keeping our weekends occupied as they invariably are at this time in the season.

The pets are still foolish and a money-pit of calamity. There's new apps to play with, and a fresh crop of TV to watch ranging from Dexter to Supernatural. SL ticks on, with the sim fully rented and the role-play moving forward (as time allows) and with the new copy write rules looming ever nearer (and me with a tonne of rebranding to do on over 200 textures). Aliza and I are still doing the Yank & Limey podcasts, as time and travel allows.

Somehow though, none of it seems worth blogging about. A little voice at the back of my head keeps telling me I should concentrate on doing rather than pontificating. Surely I'd just be repeating what I'm saying on other channels? Is it too trite to say "blogging feels so 2004"?

So, for want of this thing dying, I'll be using it as a hub for a bit. Posting pics, videos, and quick comments. Intermittently, obviously. Please bear with things until I can just turn this into my Friendfeed or something ;-)

Have You Claimed Your FB Fan Page URL?

Just about everyone (and their dog) has claimed a vanity URL’s for their Facebook presence.

Last month, FB allowed users to grab custom URL’s for their own profile pages. For instance, you can find me on Facebook at Facebook.com/nikhewitt and the good lady wife at Facebook.com/sparklyjem. Cool.

FB URL's used to be a right old hodge-podge and this is much better for branding, business cards, and generally professionalises your presence. Seriously, if you've been living under a stone and haven’t yet grabbed your custom URL, head to Facebook.com/Username and get to it, stat!.

Now, if you’re an admin for a Fan Page, you can grab custom URL’s for those too. Head to Facebook.com/Username as before and follow the "set a username for your pages" link, as per Facebook.com/doyoukasasa for one of our clients, etc. Here you can check no ones run off with your brand name already and grab those keyword friendly URL's. I thought this was a given, but, turns out a lot of folks don't know about the Fan Page bit. Only one small caviet, to make sure you're serious I guess, is the group MUST have over 100 members. Don't miss out on this, theres only 1 chance to grab the name your after.

Go do this, now :-)

Changing My Twitter Name (without losing followers)

I started on Twitter with a couple of friends the week it came out of Beta, and we had no idea just how big this would get a few years down the line. Back then I happily hid behind the nom de plume of 'Lactose the Intollerent' so that I could voice my opinion while being a part of a large news organization and with out the fear of repecussions. Times, however, have changed.

Now I work in social media and, frankly, my name is my brand. Hindesight is a marvelous thing, and it's unlikely back then we'd have gone for the names we did if we'd have know what Twitter was to become. Consequently I've decided to risk changing my username to my real name, and take close stock of the consequences.

Here is how I changed my Twitter name (hopefully) without losing any followers.

First, I checked my name was available. Important one this... ...bingo, all was clear.

Second, I made the name change. You can change your Twitter name at any time on the ’settings’ page at Twitter.com. Piece of cake. Bob's ya uncle. Yada, yada.

Third, I create a new account with my old Twitter name. I added a pic, chanced the background, added a URL to the new @nikhewitt twitter account, and posted a single tweet telling folks my name had changed. I also had to change the graphic on my background which, luckily, I'd saved as a PSD when I did it.

Forth, I let folks know through my old account, now @nikhewitt, that the name had changed but they needed to do nothing about it. I just did this for 'belt and braces' really, so they don't see something they don't recognise popping up in their stream.

Fifth, I ran around quickly changing the resorces I know used the old name/RSS stream, like the widget on the blog, FriendFeed, a few Ning sites, any links I could think of, PodBean etc. I'm sure there's a few stragglers, but I'll pick them up when I notice them and there's nothing important. Disco.

Including writing this post, the whole thing probably took about an hour.

Doing it this way I won’t lose any of my followers (touch wood) and they’ll all see the name change as their Twitter clients refresh. I did, however, miss a couple of @replys direcly after the switch. Most Twitter apps won’t update existing tweets with a new name until they are restarted, it seems. As a result a couple of @replys went to the old account. This was literally just for 20 minutes though, but if you're doing this yourself be sure to monitor your old account for a bit so you can catch missed replies and update your follower of the name change.

Painless.

New Podcast on Microblogging

Just for your info, our informal semi-weekly 'Yank & Limey' podcast is live at Podbean.

This week, a tiny bit late and in a change from the scheduled chat on Virtual Worlds, @alizasherman and I talk microblogging, applications we use to smooth the social media process, tweeting etiquette, and twitter journalism.

There's a good chance we'll be doing the Virtual Worlds cast later this week.

Yank and Limey is also available on iTunes.

Online Journalism: Yesterday & Today

Found this in my inbox this morning.

Sad in a way, but probably true.