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5 Reasons Law Firms Still Dismiss Social Media…and Why They’re Wrong
1.“There’s no ROI”
There is ROI for blogs and social media, you just have to enter into the social space having previously determined what you want to track and get out of social media. Without some kind of benchmark such as conversion rates, traffic to your site, likes or engagement on a post, calculating an ROI IS going to be impossible. Tools like Google Analytics, Google Alerts, Bit.ly etc… can help to track interest, click through rates, demographics and where/how people are talking about your firm/lawyers.
2.“The Metrics aren’t reliable”
I don’t really understand why people would think this, because Social Media data is some of the cleanest and pinpointed data there can be. There are hundreds of applications that can tell you how many people have clicked a link, who’s clicked it, where they’re from, engagement statistics, which content got the most activity etc…basically that argument is just not sound.
3.“Social Media is still too young”
…So is the Internet, so is mobile. Does your firm use email, online journals, or other websites for research? I’m sure the answer is yes, and Social Media is no longer just for the innovative law firms–it has become mainstream. Did you know that 81% of law firms are now using some kind of social media platform? If your law firm doesn’t adapt to this social shift, you will be at a significant disadvantage.
4.“Social Media is just another trend that will pass”
A recent survey from The Nielsen Company stated Americans spend nearly a quarter of their time online on social networking sites, including blogs. This is up more than 40% from just last year! With the way social media is growing, there is simply no chance it’s going anywhere anytime soon. Social Media is all about adapting to our communication needs, and as long as people are conversing there will surely be social media.
5.We need to control our message
I was watching a webinar with Gary Vaynerchuk last week and he discussed this very topic. He explained that because of the way social media is molding traditional marketing tactics, we too need to adapt to the way with which messages are dispersed and received. We can say whatever we want about our brand, but we have virtually no control over what people are saying about us. This can be scary, but it also allows your brand to grow and adjust your product/services to fit the needs and desires of your consumers.
Why the Social Media Job Market Needs Generation Y
The recent target=”_blank”>article about social media and its close relation to Generation “Y” titled, “Why Social Media Managers Should Be Under the Age of 25,” by a recent University of Iowa graduate Cathryn Sloane, has received its fair share of controversy thus far, so it seems like a great time to address some of the points that this article brings up.
Sloane asked following question: Why do marketing/communication/PR firms insist that all potential candidates have 5-10 years of professional experience? In this case, isn’t social media experience in general (which she argues Generation Y has the most of) just as valuable?
It would be helpful for those looking to hire a social media manager to realize that everyone presently under the age of 25 were in various years of high school when Facebook first came out in 2004, and when Twitter was launched in 2006. Having the minimum years of experience required for most job qualifications (5 years), would plant them smack dab in the middle of sophomore/junior year of college or in freshman year of high school (10 years)! There is simply no way that this generation could have 5-10 years of experience as most job ads prefer.
Perhaps those hiring should consider what Generation Y can bring to the table, and make their hiring decisions accordingly.
Below are some of the things that Generation Y can teach older marketing and social media professionals:
1. Generation Y began using social media before businesses were bombarding it with direct sale messages and spam. We used Facebook and Twitter socially before professionally, which not many people can say.
2. We know these social platforms better than anyone because they came out when we were 15 and 16. We were right in the middle of the social shift, and it is really one of the ways with which our generation is defined.
3. We’ve known Facebook since before the timeline, the cover photo, chat and even before notifications! We’ve seen all the changes and USED all the new features so we are better equipped to predict, adapt and make use of any and all of the upcoming developments in the social media realm.
4. Those under 25 have recently graduated from college, having learned the latest marketing and social media tactics with fresh and innovative ideas that may be different from those of a seasoned professional. New ideas, no matter who they’re from, should never be overlooked.
Though the author of the original article may have simply skimmed the surface of this debate, and some of her points are undoubtedly debatable, the most important thing that she implied is that Generation Y is not getting a fair chance in the job market, especially when considering how they can help a company.
Would you considering hiring someone from Generation Y to manage your brands’ social media accounts? Why/Why not?
Funny Friday!!
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The Business of Social Intelligence
Saving Lives One Status Update at a Time
Facebook has become a staple for both personal interests and business matters and is on point to reach 1 billion users by August—that’s 1/7 of the world’s population. Twitter, the other social media giant, has greater than 140 million active users.
Because there are so many users, and because we spend so much time on it (average of nearly 8 hours per month, per user for Facebook alone), social media has become a great channel for asking/giving help.
For years now, non-profits and charities have used social media to run campaigns, ask for donations/sponsorship, gain awareness and promote their causes, but just recently, people have started to take advantage of social media’s reach to distribute SOS messages.
In the past few years, there have been several instances where people have used social media to communicate with rescue crews or loved ones when they couldn’t get to a phone, or if phone lines were inaccessible. Missing person reports and important alerts and emergency response messages are also being delivered regularly through sites like Facebook and Twitter, simply because no other channel can reach so many people in such a short amount of time. The social space is the most saturated marketplace for dispersing and receiving messages and the public is finally starting to take advantage of this shift.
Below are a few local/national crisis’ with which people have used social media to let loved ones know they were okay, or to ask for medical assistance.
-In the Aftermath of the horrific tornado in Joplin, MO in May of 2011, the city’s newspaper, The Joplin Globe created a Facebook page that would help tornado survivors to locate missing family members, or to let loved ones know of their safety and location. For more information please click here.
-The plane crash in the Hudson River was first broken to the public in a tweet that occurred four minutes after the crash and 15 minutes before any news outlets could report the story.
-After and during the Mumbai Terrorist attacks, hospitals and volunteers were actively tweeting contact numbers, emergency response services, and requests for blood donors in nearby hospitals. Twitter users were also engaging in citizen journalism where they were reporting and uploading pictures as the events took place, and as a forum for getting in touch with displaced or missing family and friends.
Mashable did a survey asking people how likely they would be to use social media as a way to communicate their safety to loved ones…here are the results:
28% said they definitely would
21% said they probably would
22% said they may/may not
13% said they probably would not
16% said they definitely would not
Would you use social media to let your loved ones know your safety? Would you answer a tweet or Facebook post that asked for medical assistance? Please leave your comments below!
4 Reasons You Need to Implement Content Marketing into Your Business Plan
Though many believe content marketing to be a fairly new phenomenon, in actuality, the concept has been around for hundreds of years starting with the first bag of chocolate chips that gave its consumers a great recipe for baking chocolate chip cookies.
According to Susan Gunelius, author of Content Marketing for Dummies, content marketing is “the practice of developing awareness, recall, purchases and loyalty through the use of content published on or offline.”
Okay, that’s nice but how is this going to help my business to increase sales and awareness?
The fact of the matter is that content marketing is a KEY component to increasing your sales and your brand’s awareness.
Content Marketing is Key to Successful Business Plans
Here’s how:
1.Content Marketing shows your clients and potential clients that you are an authority for your subject matter. Giving unique and valuable information to your following, asking for nothing in return, is a great way to build trust and gain loyal brand ambassadors.
2.Content Marketing helps to drive traffic to your website. In creating more content in connection to your brand, you will increase your chances of showing up in a Google/Yahoo search. Well-written content also gets shared and linked to, and backlinks are one of the best ways with which to climb up the search rank ladder.
3.Content Marketing helps to build your marketing lists—a great technique in content marketing is to create fabulous content (which should always be your intent), and to ask your readers to enter their email addresses to receive your content for free. Both sides will mutually benefit from this scenario; your brand will have more email addresses to send sales collateral, newsletters and promotions, and your following will obtain valuable information free of charge.
Use opt-in feature to get email addresses from customers/potential customers
4.Content Marketing strengthens your relationships with existing and potential clients and helps you to become a greater influence within your target market.
In the last few years, big brands like Coca-Cola and Amazon have spent nearly 26% of their marketing budget on content marketing—will you hop on the content marketing train, or are you already a frequent user? Leave your thoughts in the comment box below!
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