Once upon a time, we would pick up the phone or pop round for coffee when we wanted to catch up or arrange outings.

Today, it’s a whole different ball game. You can maintain relationships through outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. But there is one major difference with the social media age compared with the ‘olden days.’

91% of employers use social media to screen applicants

When you post a comment on Facebook or send out a tweet, it’s not something that just disappears after your conversation has ended.

Before, you could say anything to anyone (within reason) and you could get away with it. Your private life and social life were completely separate from your employer. Unless you told them about the bender you went on at the weekend, they were unlikely to find out.

But, social media changes everything.

The rather sobering statistic above was recently reported by The Drum.

Because your status updates on your social media sites are there for all to see, they are an invaluable source to perspective employers.

Let’s face it, when in an interview situation, we all just tell the panel what they want to hear, so the impression they get of us isn’t always the whole truth. But now, by using social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, they will see the bigger picture.  In fact (according to the Reppler survey):

• 47% of employers check social networking sites to screen prospective employees immediately after receiving their job application
• 69% have rejected a candidate based on something they saw
• 13% of candidates were rejected because they’d lied about their qualifications
• 11% were rejected because of posting inappropriate comments, inappropriate photos, posting negative comments about a previous employer or demonstrating poor communication skills

But before you head off and delete all your social media accounts, it’s not all bad.

68% were found to have employed someone because of what they saw about them on a social networking site, with a positive impression on their personality and organisational fit being at the top of the list.

The moral is…

Social media is great, but be careful what you post.

As the above shows, more and more employers can use these channels to dig below the surface and discover the type of person you really are.

So next time you are about to post in haste, stop and think about what you’re typing.

Sally Ormond – copywriter and social media addict

Social media is all about conversation and sharing.

The premise is simple:

1. Generate great content
2. People pick it up and share it with others
3. You get more followers, fans and comments

That’s all well and good, but what happens when you’ve been using social media for a while and yet no one is sharing your stuff?

Well, you’ve obviously hit a few barriers because before the above can happen, people have to be able to find your content, they have to read it and then they have to want to share it.

Why is your content being ignored?

First of all, don’t panic. If no one is sharing, all you have to do is rethink how you’re using social media.

Below are 5 scenarios that could hold the answer to why your content isn’t being shared.

1. Trust

If you want people to share your stuff, they have to trust you.

Trust is developed through engaging with people, being open and chatting. If you’re merrily throwing stuff ‘out there’ without taking the time to get to know your followers and fans, it’s hardly surprising they don’t trust you.

2. Caring about your brand

People will only share your stuff if they care about your brand.

How do you get them to care about you? Well, for starters, you can’t make them care. Again, this one comes down to building relationships.

If you are generous with your information, tell them about offers, give away tips or even freebies, you will begin to develop a deeper relationship. They will follow you more closely and tell their friends to do the same.

3. Don’t be boring

No one wants to read something that’s boring, so they certainly won’t share it.

If you churn out blog posts, Facebook posts and tweets that are dull, you won’t be engaging with anyone.

Don’t be afraid to inject a bit of humour into your activities. People like to laugh; it makes them feel good. And if you can make someone feel good, guess what? They’ll share your stuff to make their friends feel good too.

4. Passion

Don’t panic, I’m not suggesting you have to get passionate with all your followers and fans.

If you want people to share your information, they have to feel passionate about what you do. This can be done by showing your human side.

Yes, I know that sounds scary, but if they can see you are human, they’ll warm to you. By writing about things you care about, you’ll be sharing your loves with others. And when we write about something we love, our emotion shines through and touches the reader.

5. Building relationships

There’s no getting away from it, if you want to engage people you have to build relationships.

Setting up your social media portfolio one day, and expecting great results the next, isn’t going to work.

Social media is something you have to work at.

You must listen, engage, chat and debate with your fans and followers to find out what they really want. If you put out information they’re not interested in, they’re not going to share it.

Create a strategy

If you’re in business and want to leverage the power of social media, you must have a strategy in place.

‘Doing’ social media properly is going to take time and effort, so you must make sure it pays off.

Your social media strategy should encourage engagement and prevent PR nightmares.

The most important thing to remember is that social media isn’t a form of advertising. Consumers are far cannier these days and won’t easily be fooled by expensive adverts. As a company, you have to use social media to engage with them and provide them with useful information.

The time has come to move on from yesterday’s market methods. Today, you must listen to your customers, find out what they want and provide it for them. In fact, you have to exceed their expectations.

Marketing is tough as there are more companies chasing a diminishing amount of cash. Today you have stand apart from you competitors and social media will help you do that.

Over to you

Are you successfully using social media?

Leave a comment below and share your experiences.

Customers are showing they enjoy doing business with companies that have a strong social media presence. They enjoy buying from people they like, know and trust.

What’s the fastest way to generate relationships like those?

Through your Facebook presence.

With over 750 million active users, Facebook has become the place to be in business. In fact, customers are beginning to expect you to have a presence on this phenomenal social media platform.

Because of this, many business have set up pages but without the in depth knowledge they need to leverage them fully.

The Facebook Success Summit 2011

If you’re a regular here on Freelance Copywriter’s Blog, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of SocialMediaExaminer.com.

Facebook is evolving into a one-stop resource for people’s communication needs with new features such as:

• Cleaner pages
• Users being given more control over their news feed
• Emails when someone comments on your page
• iFrame instead of static FBML
• The ability to offer deals to people checking in on mobile devices
• The ability to make Skype calls

It is becoming more and more important to master it if you want to fully utilise it for your business.

Therefore, SocialMediaExaminer have announced their forthcoming Facebook Success Summit 2011.

Due to start on 5^th October (running for the entire month) it will help you discover how to attract and engage quality customers with Facebook.  With help and advice from 19 Facebook pros, it is an essential summit for anyone serious about leveraging the power of Facebook for business.

For more information, check out this post on SocialMediaExaminer – Is Your Business Maximising Facebook?

There is a short video there to tell you a bit more about it.

It makes sense because that’s where their customers hang out, so if they want to engage with them, they’ve got to join the club.

One aspect of social media, Facebook, has become phenomenon.

• It has over 750 million active users worldwide
• There are 900 million pages, groups, events and community pages that people can interact with
• Over 30 billion pieces of content are shared every month

(Statistics from Facebook.)

So it’s little wonder that so many businesses now have a page on Facebook. But the question remains, how do you direct your fans back to your website?

Your Facebook page is great for SEO and to interact with your customers/fans, but you will also want these people to use your main brand website too.

How to drive Facebook fans to your website

Many businesses are too concerned with building their number of Facebook fans and don’t give any thought as to how they are going to get those fans to interact with them through their website.

After all, it’s through your main website that you will sell to them, so you have to devise some tactics to encourage them to visit your site.

Ben Pickering wrote a great post recently on socialmediaexaminer.com that looks at this issue. In 5 Tips for Driving Facebook Fans Back to Your Website, Ben looks at the following methods:

1. Use of tabs
2. Sharing blog posts and articles
3. Using teaser content
4. Running contests on your brand website
5. Special offers on your brand website

As you read about these in more detail, you will see that each not only adds to the value of your Facebook page, they also actively encourage your fans to visit your main website through various calls to action.

This ‘two way street’ of information adds to the users’ experience and so continues to add value to your relationship with them.

Integrating this approach into your social media activities will also strengthen your SEO strategy so everyone wins.

Over to you

Are you already using some of Ben’s techniques? Do you have your own method of driving fans back to your main site?

Leave a comment below and share the techniques you use to link your Facebook fans to your website.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter, Tweeter, blogger and Facebook fan

They set up their page and sit back and wait for hoards of people to drop by and ‘Like’ them. As they watch their numbers increase (hopefully) they start to feel pretty pleased with themselves.

But there’s a problem. All the ‘Likes’ are from employees, friends and family. What happens when those sources run dry? Where do you get your new ‘Likers’ from?

Facebook marketing – ‘Likes’ aren’t enough

Although the ‘Like’ button is there for people to show they use/enjoy your brand (and it probably makes you feel all warm and fuzzy), its buying customers you want to attract.

Having a Facebook business page takes a bit of effort – just like all your other marketing streams. If you want people to ‘Like’ you, hang around and bring along their friends, you’re going to have to do some work.

1. Newsy

Just like your newsletters and marketing materials, the content on your Facebook page has to be kept up dated.

So whenever you publish a new blog, have an event to promote or a new product/service to shout about, post it on your Facebook page.

Your fans want to be the first to know what’s happening so don’t disappoint them.

2. Be real

Even though your Facebook page is for your company, your fans want to engage with a real person. Don’t hide behind your brand. Stand up and voice your opinion and speak on behalf of your brand.

3. Talk don’t shout

The wall of your Facebook page isn’t just there for you to shout from. You want to encourage two way conversations with your customers so make sure you listen to them and reply to their comments (good and bad).

4. Chat

Closely aligned to number 3, encourage your fans to contribute to your page. Ask for their opinions, stories – even run competitions to boost engagement.

You want to cultivate a sense of community so make them feel welcome, listen to what they have to say and talk to them.

5. Tell them what to do

As I mentioned earlier, ‘Likes’ are all well and good but you’ll also want to encourage your fans to buy from you. Therefore it’s vital to have a call to action on your Facebook page.

You could ask them to sign up to your newsletter or for a report. Perhaps you could write a short piece about one of your products/services and insert a link to take them to the relevant page on your website.

Whatever you do, make sure you interact with them, build trust and then help them spend money with you.

6. Have a plan

It’s very easy to think you must get a Facebook page (because everyone else has got one) and just dive in without thinking.

That’s a recipe for disaster. Before you begin make sure you have a plan in place. Understand how you’re going to use the page, how and when you’ll update it and draw up a policy on how to interact with your fans.

Facebook is a great way to interact and build trust. You can use it as a forum to provide information or even as a customer service tool to help your customers get in touch with you.

But before you start make sure you have a plan so you understand what you’re doing and why.

Do you use Facebook in your business? If so why not leave a comment and tell us how you’re using it and your experiences.

Whether you love them or loathe them, they do offer an insight into the world of social media and the people you will meet there.

Although social media happens in a virtual world, you will still come across the usual people profiles:

• Shy
• Confrontational
• Opinionated
• Funny (and those who think they’re funny)
• Confident
• Flirty…

The list is endless. This is why social media interaction should be based on real life interaction. You may not be speaking with people face to face but they are real people.

Make friends

If you were at a party you would mingle and chat, that’s what you need to do on social media. If you are a natural wall flower this is the perfect opportunity to make an impression.

In a real life situation you may not have the confidence to approach people and chat with them (especially if you don’t know them). But in social media you can because you don’t have to physically approach them. Sat in front of your computer, you can be whoever you want to be.

Join the conversation but make sure you leave your sales hat off. Concentrate on adding value to others rather than asking favours. Offer advice and information and become a valued member of the community.

Social butterfly

You must know someone who always manages to effortlessly fit into any social group, always has crowds of people around them hanging on their every word and generally being irritatingly popular.

Emulate that person by sharing tips, stories and advice. Also encourage others to join in the conversation by inviting readers to leave comments on your blog posts – get a debate started.

Always ask questions and be interested in others and what they have to say. If you engage with others in this way they’ll want to talk to you.

Watch out for the bully

Sadly they exist everywhere, even on social media.

There’ll always be someone somewhere ready to start a fight – they’ll disagree with everything you say and try to run you down.

First of all, if you can avoid this type of situation, do so. But if it does happen, don’t run and hide. Make sure you express your opinion and stand up to them but…

• Think before you speak – you don’t want to antagonise the situation
• Read your comment before posting – how does it sound? You don’t want to lose credibility through a knee-jerk reaction
• If you can add facts and figures to your reply – use stats to back up your position
• Don’t reply in haste – remember your comment will be on the internet forever

So, as you can see, social media really is a lot like real life. All sorts of people use it – some to engage with others and make new friends and contacts, others to promote their services and products.

To get the most from it you have to be part of it. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or blogging, dive in and join the conversation.

Do you have any tips you can share on engaging in social media?

Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a situation that’s been quite difficult or you’ve been the victim of a social media bully? If so, how did you deal with it?

Please share your experiences by leaving a comment below.

Author – Sally Ormond, freelance copywriter at Briar Copywriting and social media addict

Come on, be honest, I bet at some point you’ve muttered those 4 words.

You’re not alone; it is the most frequently proffered excuse for someone not to do social media (closely followed by “I don’t understand all that stuff”).

Blogging, Facebook and Twitter (amongst others) can and will do wonders for your online marketing. They are the tools to use to build your credibility, offer advice, become an expert in your field and get to know other business owners and your customers.

Most people understand they need to do it but, at the same time, they say they don’t have the time.

Marketing time

If you have avoided social media marketing let me ask you a few questions:

• Do you go out networking?
• Do you spend time writing and submitting small adverts?
• Do you do call/warm calling?
• Do you send out mailings to attract business?

I’m sure you do at least one of those activities regularly. So if you can build those into your working day, why can’t you slot in some social media time?

At the end of the day social media is just another tool in your marketing armoury. But it is a tool that can carry your voice a lot further than an advert or phone call. Blogging, Facebook and Twitter help you reach your audience directly. You can start conversations with them and interact with them.

One thing a week

Get yourself started by doing one task per week.

It could be writing and scheduling a few blog posts, write an article, submit your website to an online directory, post to Facebook or getting to grips with Twitter.

By breaking down your marketing into manageable chunks, you’ll find it easier to cope.

Before you know it, you won’t have to pay a small fortune for a tiny little ad that’s surrounded by your competitors in a magazine with only a small circulation. You won’t have to make those cold calls anymore and you can say good bye to those tedious and unfruitful mailings.

You will only get something out of social media if you’re prepared to put something in – your time. We’re not talking hours – just a few minutes a day will make a difference.

Come on, make your time work harder for you and get cracking on your social media marketing strategy.

If you’re already ‘working it’ leave a comment and share your experiences with us. Tell us what worked for you and what didn’t. Have you had any successes? If so tell us.

Plus, stop by and say hi on Twitter and Facebook.

• They love it
• They hate it
• They just don’t ‘get’ it

From my point of view, I love it. As a freelance copywriter it has helped my business hugely. I tweet (@sallyormond), I blog, I dabble in Facebook and I use online forums, social bookmarking sites etc. They have all helped me gain greater online exposure, gather wonderful clients,  find amazing people and help when I’ve needed it most.

Before you ask, yes I do get out occasionally seeing real people. But being a writer is a solitary profession and I spend a lot of time at my desk therefore social media provides me with a link to the outside world while I am working.

Are you social media phobic?

Are you one of the people that says…

“I can’t see the point in all this social media stuff.”

“Why would I want to waste my time reading about what someone had for lunch?”

“It’s a complete waste of time; it’s not as if anyone reads that stuff anyway.”

“My customers don’t use social media.”

It always makes me smile when I hear these objections. They make social media sound like some sort of alien concept that has no place in society and yet it’s been happening for years albeit in a different format.

Social media is all about being ‘social’ – it’s chatting, building relationships, being interested in other people.

In your line of work, how do you interact with your customers?

Do you just take their order, give them what they want and then move on to the next person? If you did they won’t think much to your customer service.

First up you probably have to build some sort of rapport with your customers before you can get them to buy. You’ll spend time investing in your relationship with them but offering them information and guidance. Once you complete the sale you’ll keep in touch, make sure everything is all right.

To market your business you probably go out and network. That means you chat to people unrelated to your business learning about what they do and what they need. You might even put people in touch with others who need their help.

All of this you’ll do as a matter of course in your daily business life.

Hello? That’s what social media is all about it just happens on a different platform—online.

To get to grips with social media all you have to do is transfer the skills you use in your everyday life to the online community.

Give it a try—you might surprise yourself. If you do decide to dabble in a spot of blogging or tweeting give it a chance to get going. Miracles won’t happen overnight so don’t give up after a week just because you’re not seeing any benefit.

You have to give to the online community to get something back. Persevere with it, engage with people—you could surprise yourself.

The one great thing about internet marketing is that it offers numerous channels through which you can interact with customers and prospective customers.

Never before have you, your brand and your company been so exposed which is why how you present yourself online is so important.

The advent of social media means there are more ways to communicate than ever before. Once upon a time if someone wanted to speak to you, they had to pick up the phone. But now they can send a tweet, post on Facebook, comment on your blog or use one of the many internet forums.

There are many ways you can enhance your online reputation, but here are three simple steps you can take to make sure your company is always seen in a good light.

1. Thank you

‘Thank you’ simple but powerful.  When someone retweets you, comments on your blog or sends a new referral your way, make sure you thank them. It doesn’t take a lot of effort and will show you as someone genuine; someone they’d want to do business with.

It also pays to keep an eye on the web in general to see what people are saying about you. I use socialmention.com to keep track of what people are saying about me or my business. The alerts are simple to set up and can offer a great insight into how you are perceived as a brand online.

Again, should you receive any positive feedback or mentions, remember to make contact and say thank you.

2. Blog

Running a blog is a great way to add value to your business relationships. Through your posts you can provide information and tips to make your customers’ lives easier.

But however well written your blogs are if they are not covering topics people want to read about they will be ignored. For example if you are a holiday company don’t write about your special offers, instead write about the countries you go to, their cultures, their sights, their people – something that will inspire your reader to take a trip there to experience it for themselves.

As a freelance copywriter I use this blog to talk not only about copywriting but also about general marketing issues, social media, email marketing etc.; all topics that business owners find useful.

3. Benefits

Whenever writing about your products you must write about their benefits to your customers, but never lose sight of the fact that most people will buy from you because of who you are.

From my own experience, I will only buy from someone if I like them as a person. Why should I give someone my hard earned cash if they come across as arrogant or disinterested?

People will always buy from people so make sure you use your online marketing to connect with them. If your message resonates with them they are more likely to trust you; and with trust comes cash.

When wrapped up in marketing your business it can be easy to lose sight of what really matters – your customers. You’re so busy trying to come up with new blog ideas you forget that your customers still want that personal touch. Just because they can’t see you or shake your hand doesn’t mean they want to deal with a faceless company.

Go that step further and show your human side online.

How do you know what your customers want?

That’s a dilemma that faces every business.

If you can’t tailor your products or services to your target audiences’ needs you’re in trouble. If they aren’t the perfect fit they won’t fly off the shelves.

Many companies make the mistake of assuming their customers want the same things they want.

Big mistake.

I really enjoy cycling, in fact some of my clients also enjoy cycling but that doesn’t mean they all do.

Your customers aren’t a mirror image of you

Making decisions about social media use and marketing based on your own personal beliefs and preferences is a recipe for disaster.

If you want your business to succeed you must research your market and work out what they want, how they want it presented and what they’re willing to pay.

Even when considering dabbling in social media you have to work out where your customers are ‘hanging out’ because if you interact in the wrong place, you’ll simply be talking to yourself.

Some common misconceptions are:

• MDs of B2B companies thinking that as they don’t use social media, their customers don’t either. Yes they do—you just have to work out how they’re using it and where they are.

• Companies that use Facebook tend to update their status during the day whereas most of their ‘fans’ don’t log on until the evening or weekend.

• Sticking with Facebook, just because someone ‘liked’ your page doesn’t mean they want to be bombarded with promotional emails from you. Guess what? The ‘like’ button is not an ‘opt-in’ button.

No matter what business you’re in –retail, IT, manufacturing, copywriting, shipping etc., the only way you can discover what your customers want is to ask them (or survey them).

A scientific approach wins every time, guesswork doesn’t.