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What Content Marketers Can Learn from Pope Francis’ Twitter Account

Move over Barack Obama – there’s a new sheriff in the Twittersphere.

twitter debate

The leader of the free world has been overthrown by the Vatican’s newly elected Pope Francis, who now stands as the world’s most influential leader on Twitter. The President of the United States still ranks among the top of influential world leaders, though, currently boasting over 34 million Twitter followers (and who can forget when he obliterated Twitter statistics with his iconic “Four more years” tweet during the 2012 U.S. election?)

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Giving Certain Parts of Your Business a Social Media Voice

When it comes to your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, your gut reaction is to create several corporate accounts. So for example, if you are Dunkin Donuts your Twitter handle is @DunkinDonuts; if you are Walmart, your business Facebook page is simply Walmart. But have you ever thought about whether you can brand integral parts of your company—like your flagship offerings, company mascot or brand caricature?

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Lowes Lends a Helping Hand with Awesome Content Marketing Campaign

Lowes Vine VideosLet me start by saying that I don’t consider myself handy by any means (when I need a quick fix, my father always taught me that there’s nothing like some strong duct tape to do the trick). That’s exactly why Lowe’s “Fix In Six” campaign caught my attention. Before I knew it, the initiative – which leverages the power of Vine to share quick how-to and fix it videos – had me itching to snap on some protective goggles and get my hands on a few power tools.

I quickly realized that Fix In Six – a Tumblr blog displaying the Vine videos – could come quite in handy for those working around the house.  Ever use a Post-It to catch the dust from drilling a hole in your wall? A potato to remove a broken light bulb? Cinnamon to keep bugs out of your sandbox?

Absolutely brilliant.

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The (Unofficial) Ten Social Media Commandments for Content Marketers

social mediaWe all have some set of rules that we abide by. For example, I would consider mine to be treating others kindly, being slow to speak and being quick to listen, among others. But before I get too philosophical, let’s take a look at ten lessons every content marketer should be zeroing in on, inspired by this recent post from Buffer (props!). I now present to you the (unofficial) ten social media commandments that every content marketer should be heeding:

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10 Things Never To Do On Social Media

Social media is a great way to promote your brand, but if you’re making these mistakes, you’re risking send all your hard work right down the drain.

  • It’s been a month since you’ve posted. The frequency of posts often depends on the social media platform, but as a general rule – post daily! If you know you’re going to have a hectic day and won’t have time to post, schedule your messages through services like HootSuite or TweetDeck .
  • You don’t’ respond to comments. Your followers took the time to reply to one of your comments or tag you in a post. Show them the same respect – reply to them, even if it’s simply a quick thank you.
  • Me, me, me. Everyone loves talking about themselves and their business, but not everyone loves to hear about it! Especially when it’s overly self-promotional.
  • You’ve paid for friends. You can find many sites out there offering to sell you hundreds or thousands of fans. Promise me you won’t do it. You’ll get low quality followers who don’t care about what you have to say and may not even be real people. Quality over quantity, friends. Continue reading “10 Things Never To Do On Social Media”
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Social Media in the Music Industry: Brilliant or Desperate?

Is it just me, or have other content marketers begun picking up on the social media signals within the music industry? As we all very well know, social media is a springboard upon which businesses are happily bouncing to bolster brand awareness, lock in customer loyalty and secure sales; however, some of today’s A-list entertainers and musicians are seeing the promise of social media in an entire new light – one that they are hoping will lead to big fat dollar signs. It seems that social media became a strategic element of musicians’ careers almost overnight, which got me thinking…are these tactics genius or just plain desperate? Let’s take a look at three of today’s top celebs who are cashing in on Twitter’s hashtag and we’ll let you be the judge.

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Snail Mail Goes Social

mll2I’ve been home from college since May, but somehow Fourth of July feels like the true start to summer. So I did what I do whenever I need a new start: I cleaned. And this time, I stumbled upon a drawer in my desk full of letters. Handwritten, saved from summer camp and birthdays, conveying memories and stories from friends and family. It was a touching discovery, one that made me hesitant to check my Facebook or Twitter, thinking I wouldn’t find the same meaning there as I did in that desk drawer. But thankfully, if you miss the good old days of snail mail as much as I do, there’s an organization that knows where we’re coming from.

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Friends or Enemies? Bad Social Media Strategies Could Turn Customers Against You

Bad-Service-300x199“NO I would not like to speak to another representative and NO I will not stay on HOLD!” Sounds familiar? Hey, we’ve all been there and we have all encountered the famous runaround from customer service representatives who seem to love making our day miserable. Most of us have even taken to social media to share our grievances about a horrible customer experience.  And don’t worry you’re not the only one who’s fed up with bad customer service. In fact, 60 percent of customers believe that companies have not taken steps to improve their customer service. Whatever happened to the customer is always right?

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Statistics Show that SMS is an Underrated Marketing Tool

SMS marketingWhen one thinks of newer marketing strategies in the 21st century, Facebook and Twitter instantly come to mind, alongside podcasts, webinars, blogs and infographics. Yet among an ever-widening landscape full of marketing tools and techniques, there currently remains a content marketing strategy filled to the brim with untapped potential. What is this secret marketing tool that has been so subtly stashed away? Short Message Service (SMS), or text messaging.

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How to Bring Social to Your Business Model

Have you ever noticed that many of your favorite TV shows—especially reality-based ones—have a new reoccurring character each episode? Its name is Twitter. From regular series promoting show-specific hashtags to reality TV programs displaying live tweets, there are very few shows on prime-time television that have not made a main character out of Twitter. The Bachelorette, America’s Got Talent, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, So You Think You Can Dance… the list goes on and on.

twitter stream

We have become so accustomed to Twitter on TV – whether it’s  live Twitter streams at the bottom of the screen  or the redundant plea of TV hosts to follow or vote for contestants,  – that in just a few short years, this type of social behavior has become commonplace.

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