Twitter Speech: Say What?

Twitter has a language of its own. If you don’t believe me, just try logging on. You’ll eventually run into something that makes you scratch your head and reach for your search engine of choice.

Part of it has to do with the shortness of Twitter. If you can use “u” instead of “you,” that’s two more characters to utilize. The other part is the idea that you can be part of the “elite” — because who would know what you’re talking about better then someone as knowledgeable of Twitter as you?

So in the event that you’re thrust into the Twittersphere, here are a few definitions to clear things up:

• RT=Retweet
  A RT is when someone likes your tweet so much that they want to share it. Sometimes users will answer a question you posed, creating grounds for conversation.

• #FF=Follow Friday
  If you get a #FF tweeted at you, it’s simply the other user saying a friendly hello…in a mass bulk way. The proper response is to RT (Yes, I’m testing to see if you remembered the above term.) and say your own “thank you” back.

• MT=Main Tweet
  RTs can become long winded after a while. Sometimes, you can’t even tell who tweeted first. To distinguish the original tweet from the rest, simply change RT to MT. Problem solved.

• TT=Translated Tweet
  The great thing about social media is that it’s everywhere. If you see TT, it means that the tweet was tweeted in another language, and the person who RTs it has kindly translated.

• DM=Direct Message
  Sometimes, you don’t want everyone to see your conversation. A DM is a private message between you and another user. If someone asks you to DM them, they usually want to provide confidential information.

• HT=Heard Through
  HT is a way to source. So if you’re aware of copyright laws, this might be a keeper.

• SM=Social Media
  Pretty self explanatory. If you’re tweeting about social media, you can shorten it to SM.

• Bot=Robot
  These are accounts that are robots; everything is automated. There’s no human interaction involved, and they are usually geared toward entertainment. Don’t know what I mean? Tweet the words “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.”

And remember, just like any language, you have to learn the basics before you jump in. Hopefully, this will keep you from getting lost in translation!

Tags: Sarah Rising, Social Media, Twitter

LinkedIn Offers Group Spotlights; Social Media Managers Rejoice

It seems that businesses are getting holiday presents early this year as social media platforms roll out new features. While you might have already heard about Pinterest Pages, you shouldn’t forget to check out LinkedIn’s new goodies.

LinkedIn has upped its game for 2013 by providing a way for businesses to highlight groups on their Company Pages. And if your first thought is “Why is this a big deal?” then you obviously don’t do much social media management.

For years, social media managers have been trying to connect Pages with groups because, as every good manager knows, you need to go where your audience is. And LinkedIn’s strongest and most active audience has always been in groups and LinkedIn Answers.

Now managers have a way to spotlight select groups, and that means more chances to transfer traffic. If that isn’t enticing enough, think of it this way—more traffic can mean more leads. And I don’t have to iterate the positive meaning of leads.

As 2012 draws to a close, it is suggested that companies re-evaluate their LinkedIn strategy. With new tools comes opportunity, but it takes strategy and an understanding of these newer features. If you need help in the 2013, don’t hesitate to schedule a session with an expert. It’s better to know how to utilize these sources sooner than later.

Tags: CBD Marketing, LInkedIn Marketing, LInkedIn Page Tools, LinkedIn Pages, LinkedIn Spotlights, LinkedIn Tools, LinkedIn Updates, Sarah Rising, Social Media Updates

Pinterest Shows Love to Companies

It’s official. Pinterest has finally created business Pages.

Simply log into your account, and click on http://business.pinterest.com/. After filling out the appropriate information, you will be given the option to verify your site and set up a Pinterest button on your homepage. Once you complete everything, you’re set.

Not a single follower lost. (Taking notes, Facebook?)

This introduction of Pinterest Pages is significant. Although currently there isn’t much of a difference between Profiles and Pages, the transition suggests that Pinterest is going to make the most of businesses on its platform.

Don’t be surprised to see more features available to companies in 2013. As Pinterest is already known for driving traffic, just imagine what new pinning goodies might bring. Anyone else think it would be awesome to be able to contort pictures a la Instagram style on Pinterest?

Until these new features come out, our advice would be to utilize free tools already available. Yeah, you read that right. FREE.

• Pinpuff or Pinreach: How popular are you? Pinpuff and Pinreach tells all.
• Pin A Quote or Pinstamatic: And people thought Pinterest was only for pictures!
• Pin Search: Want to find the source of something that was improperly linked? Problem solved.
• Reachli: Create campaigns to control the Pinterest universe. It’s one pin at a time…

And remember, Pinterest Pages work just like Pinterest Profiles. Good content is king.

Tags: CBD Marketing, Pinterest Company Pages, Pinterest Pages, Pinterest Tools, Sarah Rising, Social Media News

Social Media “Quirks” You Might Not Know

Everyone thinks they can manage a social media account because they have personal account. But in reality, social media for business is an entirely different playing field. If you’re a company looking to start and manage its own social media platforms, here are a few “quirks” that most social media managers deal with without hassling the business they serve.

1) LinkedIn Pages require a domain. In other words, you cannot establish a company Page without having a website. On top of this, if your business is global, you may already have a LinkedIn Page that a current or previous employee set up. Be sure to claim it.

2) Facebook contests cannot use “liking” as a voting mechanism. This is probably the most disregarded rule on Facebook. However, in Facebook’s contest rules and guidelines, it specifically states that it is illegal. Don’t follow the trend. If you’re company is big enough, it can get in major trouble by breaking Facebook’s rules.

3) Pinterest images can be linked anywhere. One of the most unknown facts on Pinterest is that you don’t have to keep an image linked to the website it came from. Carefully source your photo in its caption then lead the viewer back to your website. This generated website traffic. Just be careful to make sure your company’s website page is relevant to the image or your audience’s bounce rate will skyrocket.

4) Twitter’s interest groups can generate leads. People who use Twitter know that interest groups are the best way to get speaking gigs, guest blog spots and more. They are chock full of journalists and public relations managers—the career people who claimed the Twittersphere first.

5) Sure. Every interesting social post can go viral, but you have to link them to a viral site first! I cannot count the times I’ve seen a company post an interesting infographic or white paper, but didn’t it to Stumbleupon, Digg etc. If you have new information, be sure to share on social bookmarketing sites. The social world is much more than just Facebook and Twitter.

Remember, these are only a few social media quirks—there are many, many more. If your company is new to the social media space, consider partnering with an agency for community management and marketing. The right agency (Like us!) will work with your team to establish success.

Tags: CBD Marketing, Company Social Media, Facebook Pages, LinkedIn Pages, Pinterest Pages, Sarah Rising, Social Media, Social Media for Business, Social Media Quirks, Twitter Interest Groups, Using Social Media for a Company, Viral Social Sites

Solve the Facebook “Like & Run” Problem: Like Thy Neighbor’s Page

If you didn’t know this already, Facebook’s Edgerank system determines whether your Page’s content is going to end up in someone’s newsfeed based on how many likes, shares and comments your post gets. If your post has more engagement, your Page’s reach becomes significantly higher.

Sounds simple, right? Wrong.

The problem is that an average Facebook user tends to like and run—meaning they like your Page then never return to it. And here’s where the vicious cycle comes in. You can’t get new fans unless you show up in newsfeeds, but you can’t show up in newsfeeds unless someone new likes your posts.

You can start to see the problem.

Fortunately, years of social media experience has given me insights into this chicken or egg conundrum. And the solution, it turns out, is to like other Pages. Let me explain why and how this works.

It works because Facebook doesn’t discriminate. A Profile liking a Page’s update has the same weight as a Page liking a Page’s update. So essentially, by getting other Pages to like your status, you are making your posts show up in newsfeeds, opening eyes to the existence of your Page and, therefore, creating new fans.

So, how do you get other Pages to like your Page’s updates? Better yet, why would other Pages even help you out?

Here’s where you need to understand the functioning capabilities of Pages. Functionality-wise, Pages cannot contact Profiles. We cannot message them, making it hard to get their attention. It does not matter if Suzy loves our product. If Suzy doesn’t know that our Page exists, Suzy won’t like it.

On the other, we can message Pages. We can post to their Walls. We can engage. And by engaging with them, we are opening doors. Maybe Suzy is already a fan of Joe’s restaurant. By engaging with Joe’s restaurant, we are now visible to Suzy.

You see, if you let other Pages onto your Page, they will let you onto theirs. In a way, you are sharing your audience and, by sharing, you are widening your reach. So, when it’s all said in done, there’s something to be said for the old “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”

Just be careful not to pick Pages that could be competitors!

@sarahmrising

Tags: CBD Marketing, Facebook Edgerank, Facebook Likes and Shares, Facebook Newsfeeds, Facebook Pages, Facebook Profiles, Facebook Users, New Facebook Fans, Sarah Rising, Social Media, social media community management, social media management, Technology

CBD Marketing’s Food Survey Goes Social

If you’re a pizza lover and handy with a camera, then CBD Marketing’s social media contest is for you. We recently completed our 2012 Food Survey about consumer shopping habits. And what complements a food survey better than free pizza?

The contest: Take a picture of your favorite store-bought food (No restaurant or “prepared” items!), tell us why you love the brand and enter to win.
The judges: Vice President of Public Relations & Social Media Jean Ban, Executive Creative Director Mary Olivieri and Co-CEO/President Liz Brohan
Where to enter: www.facebook.com/cbdmarketing Not a Facebook fan? Send your entry to cbdsocialmediacontest@gmail.com
When to enter: November 19, 2012 – January 15, 2013
The prize: A party’s worth of pizzas (four large pizzas valued over $80) from Chicago’s very own Lou Malnati’s, shipped anywhere in the U.S.

We encourage creativity; so, programs like Photoshop and Instagram are all fair game. Think outside the box. Surprise us. Better yet—Surprise yourself! Photos will not only be judged on the uniqueness of the item, but also on why you love the brand so much.

May the best foodie win!

Disclaimer: Facebook is in no way associated with this contest. If you are 18 years or younger, you must have your parent’s or legal guardian’s written permission to participate. CBD will not publish pictures that promote spam, are irrelevant to the contest or contain inappropriate language or items. For more information on CBD’s social contest, please visit read CBD’s official rules and guidelines, Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Tags: CBD Marketing, CBD's Food Survey, CBD's Photo Contest, CBD's Social Media Contest, Free Lou Malnati's Pizza, Sarah Rising, Social Media Contest, Win Pizza