Developing a Successful Social Media Strategy

Social media has become an important driver today in the success of businesses and their products and services. Word of mouth has always been a top way to increase exposure and sales, but with mediums like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest people can reach much larger audiences than in the past. With that said, it is important to have a social media strategy in place in order to define your goals and evaluate its success. Below is a 5 step chart to help develop your company's strategy. 

Step 1: Define your goal. Make it clear what it is you want to achieve with social media. This will help you in figure out your plan.

Step 2: Find Your Customers: Do a lot of research. Figure out where your customers are hanging out, what they're saying about you and your industry.

Step 3: Once you've found your customers, it's time to become a part of the conversation. Based on your experience and your research, determine the best platforms to use for your strategy.

Step 4: Put a plan into place: You've figured out what your objectives are, what you'd like to achieve, where your customers are most active and the best platforms to step into. You are ready now to create your plan.

Step 5: Evaluate: It's important to create a timeline for your strategy and evaluate it at the end to see where you are. Every month of 3-6 months you should look at your goals and see if the current plan is helping to reach them. If not, repeat steps 1-5 with a new approach.

Thoughts on Facebook Hashtags

If you haven't been hiding under a rock the past few weeks, you are aware that Facebook has become a part of the hashtag world. Now no matter what you're thinking, you can share it with others outside of your friend circle. Here's a few interactive questions this week we'd love to hear your answers to:

Have you used Facebook hashtags yet?

Do you plan on using them?

Do you think Facebook did the right thing jumping on the hashtag bandwagon?

Feel free to answer these questions by commenting on our Facebook page

Happy Father's Day

Evoke Creative Group wanted to take a minute out of this beautiful Sunday to wish all you dads out there a very Happy Father's Day. And a big shout out to our Creative Director Matt Francis who juggles this awesome company and a beautiful family!

Sounds of Summer

With the summer season officially upon us, we thought we would take today to acknowledge some of the newest hot and sizzling ads that have come about. In one way or another they put a clever twist on marketing techiniques such as: celebrity endorsement and innovation to name a few. Check them out and let us know what you think!

Who Should You Be Following On Twitter?

Do you ever wonder as a business the appropriate following etiquette for twitter?

Lets start with the reason you're on twitter. You want to gain awareness, attract new customers and see what your competitors are doing. With that said here's a little insight to those questions.

You can follow your customers. This will help you stay on top of what they are saying about your business as well as keep you up to date on their needs, wants and interests. You can see what other items they're buying, what other businesses they like and this can help you in the long run with product development, promotions etc. Following your customers back also gives them access to DM for any private concerns or comments they may have.

Also follow your competitors. It's important to stay on top of what they are doing and how they interact with their customers. Along with competitors, follow any influencers of your industry whether it be a business or person.

We here at Evoke Creative Group love motivating ourselves and others. So following twitter accounts with motivational quotes or motivational speakers is a great way to keep you reaching for the top. It's always nice to see something like that pop up on days you get discouraged.

Who do you follow on twitter?

Home of the Free Because of the Brave

Taking a moment out of our everyday lives to remember our heroes. Happy Memorial Day Weekend All!

5 Reasons to Hire a Social Media Agency

As large as Social Media has become in this day and age, it is still developing. The rules are always changing and sometimes it can be hard to keep up. The right knowledge and training can help navigate a company successfully through these murky waters. Here are 5 reasons your company should hire a social media agency to achieve your goals:

1. It Will Save You Time: Creating a successful social media campaign is a full time job. It takes hours of research to gather content, create the right message and execute it on all the right networks. Social Media Agencies do this kind of job each and everyday. They eat, sleep and breathe the latest updates and trends. Why not let the experts handle it?

2. It Will Save You Money: By hiring a social media agency, companies can skip the step of having to staff this sort of position. As mentioned above, social media is a full time job which means full time pay and benefits. With an agency, you'll reap the same rewards and save in the process.

3. Less Turnover Potential: You could staff a social media position within your company. However, the newest employee will need to get up to speed with company history, messaging and branding techniques. And after that, there is no guarantee that employee is there for the long term. With an agency, all information for you as a client is collected and can be accessed in a moments notice. Campaign statistics, marketing calendars etc. are all kept up to date and can easily be understood by all. With an inside staffing position your new hire will be playing roulette trying figure out where the other left off.

4. They Can Teach You What You Don't Know: Social Media experts have the ability to train your staff to understand the importance of a social media strategy. They can lend you and your employees advice on the latest trends, get them to delve into the social media world and assist in social media efforts by offering information you may not already know.

5.The Tools Are Already There: Social Media Agencies already have the latest tools and technologies needed to run a social media campaign. This saves you a step in having to purchase all of it yourself. Not only that, but they are already trained and familiar with the software and can put it to immediate use.

Featured Blog Post of the Week

When we come across some great advice or statistics we believe it is important to share it with our audience.  360i Blog had a great topic this week, we wanted to highlight.

Check out what they had to say about what they've learned about social media:

8 Things We’ve Learned from Engaging with 200MM People in Social

Last week, the aggregate size of the online communities we manage on behalf of brands like Coca-Cola, Oreo, NBC and more reached 200 million people. This milestone reflects the reach of our content & community management team across several social media platforms – from Facebook and Twitter to Tumblr and Pinterest.

Since formally launching our community management team more than four years ago, we’ve used curiosity and a test-and-learn approach to help our clients build and nurture their online communities through shifts in the social landscape, including the proliferation of new platforms and the increased importance of content for brands.

We asked some of our community and content managers to share their most important findings from engaging with 200 million people in social media every day. Here are their top takeaways:

1. Respect the inherent value exchange that’s required of all online communities. “Fans who ‘Like’ or follow brands aren’t looking for a sales pitch – they’re looking for entertainment or utility,” says Community Supervisor Jeremy Elias. “Focus on building relationships rather than blasting a message,” further suggests Senior Community Manager Tatiana Urriaga.
2. Push the limits of your content. “A great community manager never gets comfortable with their content,” says Mikey Cramer, Associate Director of Social Content Development & Strategy. “Strong content is the result of being able to bring a brand to life in a way that aligns with what fans want and with what performs well on a given platform. As what is culturally relevant is always changing, and as platforms are always evolving, so to should your content strategy.”
3. Take strategic risks. “Don’t be afraid to try new things in your online communities, as repercussions of not taking risks could be substantial,” says Elias. “Just because you haven’t done something before doesn’t mean it won’t resonate.” Vet new tactics or strategies by ensuring that they align with the brand’s personality, the character of its audience and best practices of the platform – and always plan for the expected. “You must proactively plan to be reactive,” says Senior Community Manager Karri Wells Wane.
4. Get in the mindset of your audience. “People love sharing content that illustrates or articulates their current state of mind,” reflects Elias. “If your brand can illustrate that in a fun and engaging way, you’re golden.” “Think like a troll; but don’t act like one,” echoed Senior Community Manager Steven Avalos. “Knowing your community means understanding exactly what makes them tick and what will set them off. Play into these learnings to create better, more reactionary content that will get fans talking and showing off their passion for your brand.”
5. Respect the savvy of social audiences. Regardless of the platform or type of content, be sure that you are delivering premium experiences to your fans. This could mean establishing a consistent aesthetic for social images (e.g. 360i client Hanes) or using high-res video to create branded GIFs. “If you’ve cut corners with your content, the community will let you know,” says Elias.
6. Utilize a social tone of voice that’s unique to your brand. A social tone of voice acts as a guide and a filter for what your brand says in online communities. It should be reflective of your brand’s values and beliefs, but also reflective of your audience and their culture. “Find your own unique voice so it doesn’t sound like everybody else’s in the feed,” recommends Elias. “The best brand voice sounds and feels like a person, not like a corporation or mission statement.”
7. Remember that individuals within a community are important, too. “Talking to one person in your community can sometimes inspire millions more to get involved in the conversation,” says Elias. Use community insights to develop your strategy, but don’t assume all fans are the same. In social, a thoughtful or particularly clever response to a single person within a community has the potential to reach a much larger audience.
8. Don’t get too comfortable with best practices. “The social landscape is always changing, so make sure you test and re-test different strategies on an ongoing basis,” says Chloe Mathieu- Phillips, Associate Director of Digital Communities. “Platforms evolve, and so does user behavior. People might engage more or less with certain types of content over time.” Adds Wells Wane: “You must be comfortable being uncomfortable or you will never survive.”

The biggest takeaway from our team: evolve your approach with changes in the social landscape and be prepared to shift course as new opportunities arise. A nimble, curious mindset will allow you to reach consumers in new ways and take advantage of key moments as they unfold.

How to Make Social Media Fun

One of the reasons we use social media is because it's fun. I know, you're probably asking, if we're using social media for business, how can it be fun? Well, we're going to show you a few ways you can make social media fun!

1. Contests - Everyone loves prizes. Have your customers take creative pictures with your product and post on social media sites

2. Polls- Poll your customers on the next product idea or their favorite so far. Get creative

3. Recognition - Recognize a valued customer. Choose a customer of the month and they can receive a discount for their next purchase. This may incline others to shop more often so they can be next!

4. Show Your Best Side: Post being the scenes photos of your employees hard at work, customers (with permission) who visit that day and show your followers how down to earth you are. Remember, it's all about being relatable.

5. Be Witty: Do you blog? If not, maybe you should start! You can blog about anything industry and product related. If people enjoy your posts, even laugh a little, they are more than likely going to share with a friend.

Social media is a great way to create awareness for your business, but it doesn't always have to be business. Spruce it up a little and have some fun. Your customers will thank you!

Foursquare Benefits for Business

A week ago today was officially Foursquare day. Feel free to head over there and check out all the fun ways they celebrated!

In honor of its one week anniversary, we thought we'd go a little bit in depth on this social media tool that has generated a lot of hype. Why use Foursquare if your a business? What benefits does it hold for you? Here are 4 great answers to those questions.

Consumers Love the Competition: Not only can those on Foursquare share new places and find new hangouts through checking in, but they can also earn points while doing it. They earn badges for being the first to check in somewhere or checking in somewhere the most often. Who doesn't like to gloat about being the mayor of somewhere right?

New Customers at no Cost: All you have to do is add your business to Foursquare and you've opened the door for a whole new group of consumers. While searching for a product or service, your business will then come up in their search and they are now aware of your offerings. Once they are aware you are out their that can then turn into them doing business with you.

Reward Your Customers: Those who check in often and help in supporting your business should be rewarded in some way to show appreciation. Offer coupons, special promotions or give them a shout out. Loyal customers deserve it and they will pay it forward!

Real Time Data: While users of Foursquare are checked in to a certain location they gain access to polls, questionnaires  quizzes, etc. This is a great tool for businesses to gain feedback from their customers.

Social media is all about creating awareness and building a loyal following all while having fun doing it! Foursquare is a great way to create all of that.

What Facebook Changes Mean for Your Brand

Are you familiar with the latest changes to Facebook? If not, Evoke came across a great blog post from The Targeted Group explaining the in depth details and impact these changes will have. Take a look!


A Close Inspection of Facebook’s Updates and What They Mean for Your Brand
Thursday, 18 April 2013 11:42  
Virginia Arnold


Facebook has been busy making changes to its functionalities in the last few months- eight since January to be exact- but don’t be overwhelmed by these new updates. Instead, optimize your brand’s Facebook page by using the following tips and best practices: 


Partner Categories
Through Partner Categories brands will be able to focus their advertising dollars on Facebook users with purchasing histories that suggest they would be interested in specific products or services. 

Brands can leverage this new Facebook feature by advertising products or services that build on purchases users have already made. For instance, a computer company may choose to advertise computer-maintenance services instead of computer hardware since they have access to a group of users that are guaranteed to already own computers.

Facebook Home 
While the success of Facebook Home is yet to be determined, it does bring into focus an important social media trend: mobile marketing. Brands should remember to make their Facebook content mobile friendly. Keep it short, to the point, and include media-rich elements, such as infographics, to help users digest the information.

Ads in News Feed
This new advertising feature allows businesses to target specific audience members with posts that appear in their News Feed. Since these posts will be shared with Facebook users that have expressed interest in the types of products or services being advertised, the ads should be optimized for engagement through the use of language and images that relate specifically to the target audience. 

Reply Button
Brands can now reply to specific comments on their Facebook posts. This new function makes it easier for brands to manage comments and to host events that foster engagement, such as open forums or questions-and-answer sessions, directly on their Facebook page.

Cover Photo Freedom
Businesses on Facebook now have more freedom to add text that encourages interaction with the brand page to their cover photo. Some previous restrictions that are no longer in place include: Adding contact information, suggesting users “like” the page, and including call-to-action text such as “tell your friends”. 


These well-designed brand cover photos are great examples for companies hoping to refresh their Facebook presence: 












Brand Cover Photos from giniarnold




Hashtags
In mid-March The Wall Street Journal announced that Facebook is working to adapt hashtags into its standard functionalities. Facebook hashtags will help businesses be found more easily by allowing users a way to search for posts referencing topics they find interesting. To prepare for this new function, brands on Facebook should compile a list of strategic hashtags that can be used when the feature is launched. Look to current Twitter efforts for inspiration. 

The New News Feed
The updated News Feed layout, not yet available to all users, places a specific emphasis on brand cover photos and profile images. It is now more important than ever that brands are cognizant of their photo choices. This new, prominent position in users’ Timelines is a great opportunity for increasing network size, so use these images to attract and engage.

Facebook Graph Search
Some Facebook users are still waiting to receive access to Facebook Graph Search, but that doesn’t mean businesses should wait to optimize their page. Brands should pay special attention to the “About” section of their profile, making sure it includes a description with keywords that describe the company.

Has your brand found success with Facebook’s latest updates? Let us know your tips for Facebook optimization in the comments section. 

Work to Inspire

I don't know about you, but we had a blast following all of the great upsets, memorable plays and remarkable comebacks during March Madness. One of the most talked about moments around here, which I'm sure is true for all of you, was that of Kevin Ware. Our hands covering our face, shivers sneaking up our spines and our hearts heavy for him, his family and his teammates as he recovers from an unforgettable injury. 

That moment was an inspiration for today's blog. As business owners we tend to always be going after that next big thing. Today, we wanted to take a moment to remind you of how to handle those tough times we all come across. 

1. You Can't Do It Alone: We as entrepreneurs and business leaders tend to always hold the reins pretty tight. However; success, although not impossible, cannot be done without a team behind you. Delegate responsibilities to your employees, let go of the things others can handle.  It's a lot easier to manage your business when you can give others part of your focus.
2. Always Stand Up One More Time: Starting a business, profiting from it and allowing it to keep growing the way you want it to takes work. Don't get discouraged if you try something and it doesn't work. Just chalk it up as a lesson learned and give something else another shot. Running a successful business, on top of knowledge and experience, is a lot of trial and error. If you come across a hurdle or trip and fall, just dust yourself off and keep going.
3. Take a Moment to Reflect: We as human beings in general tend to focus a lot of energy on what could go wrong, on what has gone wrong, but what about all the great things that have been achieved. In the midst of a busy like, always take a moment to look at how far you've come and what you've created. You will learn to be more successful when you learn to understand the great things in life instead of the not so great.

We would love to hear your thoughts and reflections that inspire you as business owners. Please comment below and tell us your thoughts!

How NOT to Use Hashtags

As promised, Evoke Creative Group is going to be giving some tips today on how NOT to use hashtags. Follow carefully as proper use of hashtags is important in promotion, brand building and social media.

1. Creating your own hashtag find, but dontstringtogetherabunchofwords like this, put a # in front of it and call it a hashtag. The reason we don't do this is because it's hard for people to make out exactly what it says. If they can't understand it, they won't click on it. So keep your hashtags short and sweet.

2. Don't always put yourself in the same category. By this we mean try to be a little creative. When posting quotes or pictures or articles, try to reach beyond your normal industry hashtags to find a new audience.

3. Don't distract from the message. A few hashtags within a tweet is fine, but don't get so caught up in how #pretty and #beautiful they are to #tweet that your entire #message is #built on them. See, is can be a bit distracting.

4. Don't be negative and controversial in your hashtags. We always applaud honesty, but twitter isn't the place for a business to post controversial or negative opinions.

Got other ideas for ways NOT to use hashtags? Let's here it!

Hashtag Fun

We've all seen then and some of us even use them, but what exactly are hashtags and how can you use them to get the most out of your social media? We'll tell you!

• Hashtags are a great way to categorize your discussions to make it easier for those interested to find you and what you post
• They are a great way to keep track of live events such as promotions, conferences, webinars etc. Creating a hashtag to be used during these specific times helps with networking and keeping others up to date on what is going on.
• It makes it easier for your target market to find you. Hashtags not only categorize your topics, but it helps your customers to find you. When they are searching specific hashtags for things that interest them, if you use the correct hashtag they can search through and find you and your relevant and informative content. 
• Gain new followers. Although hashtagging isn't necessarily directly related to an increase in followers it can be a great success. Those who happen to fall upon one of your tweets while searching a specific hashtag may be interested in the content you are putting out and want to stay up to date with your happenings, so they'll choose to follow you. 

There are right and wrong ways to use hashtags. Using it the right way can be very beneficial for promoting your brand and gaining credibility. Using hashtags incorrectly can cause frustrating results. We will discuss this in our next blog post so stay tuned!

Employees and Social Media

Each employer has different policies and recommendations when it comes to social media. Here at Evoke Creative Group we encourage the use of social media to our employees. It stands behind our belief that customers build a more trusting relationship when they can relate to the people behind the product. 

If you're a little bit apprehensive about employees and their free reign on social media, here are a few things you can speak with your employees about to ensure you're on the same page:

1. Expressing that their opinion is their own: If employees are posting and conversing about industry related topics, it's best that they make it very clear that what they are saying is their own opinions and does not reflect on the opinions of your business.

2. Personal sharing of co-worker/customer information: Sharing photos or any type of proprietary information without others permission or that goes against company privacy policy should not be shared via social media. Make sure employees are aware of your privacy policy.

3. Personal vs. Professional: It is an idea to have your employees have a separate professional account for conversing with consumers or discussing any business or industry related stuff. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts about employees and social media. Feel free to tell us on twitter @evokebuzz!

What Should You Be Posting on Social Media

With all that is available in the social media realm these days there are so many creative ways to create awareness for your business. It's important to remember not to flood your tweets and posts with constant sales messages. That is a big turn off for consumers. So just what should you be post on your social media sites? Here are some great ideas:

1. Give them a sneak peek of a product currently in development: Leave them wanting more! Let them know you're working hard to create something they're going to want to be on the lookout for.

2. Introduce them to your employees: Being able to relate to a business and its brand is important to consumers. It builds trust and loyalty. What better way to do that than to show them who is working hard behind the scenes.

3. Pictures: Whether you're a restaurant showing off your daily special, an amusement park bragging about your newest attraction or an auto dealer introducing your newest car to the lot, these are great ways to keep consumers up to date on happenings with your business.

4. Acknowledgements: If someone mentions you good or bad, it's important to let them know you hear them. Thank them for their support and their comments.

5. Everyday life: There's no better way for consumers to bond with a business than being able to see the people behind it are human themselves. You don't need to get too personal, but hey if you just ran your first half marathon, participated in a local event over the weekend or visited a new restaurant in town, don't be afraid to share it.

6. Current Promotions: Without flooding your social media sites with constant sales pitches, do let consumers know when you're running specific promotions so they can take advantage.

7. Relevant News: If you've found articles, blogs or any relevant news stories relating to your industry or your area, share it.

8. Answers to Frequently asked Questions: Inform consumers of your policies, business hours and any other information you think they should know. The easier it is to find the better.

9. Fun Facts: Engage fans with information they might not know about you, your business and your employees. Trivia, quizzes and fun facts are a great way to shed a positive light.

Social Media Made Easy

With so many social media sites out there it's hard to keep track of what you use each one for. Well, no need to wonder anymore. Evoke is happy to share a fun, easy guide created by Blog Tyrant. A simplified look into the social media mind:

Be sure to take a look at the rest of the blog for step by step tips!

Social Media Tools Your Should Be Using

When we think of social media what comes to mind? YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter of course. However; contrary to popular belief, there are other social media sites that your business can use. These sites can also help businesses promote their brand and spread the word to new and existing customers. What are they you might ask? We will tell you!

Four Square- With the recent release of a business app,

businesses can now keep track of what is going on right 

on their mobile phone. You can post updates, run specials, 

see check ins and more. It’s a great site to offer incentives 

and drive traffic.

Flickr- a great site for storytelling through pictures. You can use Flickr to show your products in interesting ways, share compelling photos or your history, location, culture etc.

Blogging- Blogging is a great way to use SEO to

drive traffic to your website. It’s also a great way

for you as a business owner to stay up to date with 

the current trends and technology within your industry. 

Some suggestions of domains would be squarespace, 

wordpress and blogger, just to name a few.

What types of social media do you love that have been successful for your business?

Social Media Tips for Business

With the popularity of social media on the rise, creating an effective social media campaign is on the fore front of many businesses minds. However; where to start and how to implement a successful campaign can be overwhelming for those who aren't familiar with it. Here are 4 social media tips all businesses should know.

• Keep Content Interesting:  A Facebook timeline or twitter feed is saturated with posts so you want to make sure that yours stands out. The use of  images, videos and links that are relevant to your brand and worth seeing can help get your customers attention. 
• It's Not Always About Sales: Saturating social media with promotions and sales posts will deter customers from returning to your social media pages. No one wants to be bombarded with constant sales pitches. Be sure to limit the amount of times per week these posts are made. 
• Behind the Scenes: The more consumers know about your business the better. Building trust and familiarity between your customer and your brand can create customer retention. Posting about your employees, daily activities and customer appreciation are just a few things you can do to show who you are and that you care.
• Ask for Customer Interaction: Asking customers to "Like" your post on Facebook or retweet on twitter are simple ways to expand your customer reach and keep your customers active. It could be as simple as "Like this if you have plans on this beautiful Sunday" to asking to retweet if they love the product they bought from you. 

What Your Customers Wish You Knew

We came across this article on Social Mouths the other day and just had to share it with all of you as I think it touches on very beneficial points all businesses need to know. We are obviously partial to number 7 (wink wink). Hope you find this as informative as we did!

Do You Know Your Customers? Here Are 10 Things THEY Want You To Know About Them 

• How can you apply that kind of personalization in your communications with your customers?

• How something like this can improve those relationships?

• How can you integrate personalization into your social media strategy?

How well do you know your customers? Do you know them as well as they know your business or brand?

In today’s business economy, sales don’t come as easy as they used to. We deal with a much more educated consumer that wants to become familiar with your product or services as well as your competitors before committing.

And sometimes one small thing you say or do, or don’t… can trigger a new sale or make a customer happy. Or the other way around, of course.

But if you don’t know your customers…

This Infographic by Help Scout (and research by my friend Gregory Ciotti) is not completely related to social media, even better, it reflects some of the things you need to know about your customers way before you jump on social media to start communicating.

If we fully understand these points, it will be much easier to implement a way of communicating with customers, focused on satisfaction. In social media and any other channels.

In other words the formula is: Business goals first, then social media to help you reach those goals

Example

My favorite is #2, Personalization. I remember my dad used to love this particular restaurant. The interesting part to me however, was how the feeling was mutual, the minute he walked in there, everybody from the host, to the waiters to the chef will say hi to him using his name with an automatic smile on their faces. I was impressed and I know for him those details were important.

Start by knowing your customers better

Infographic courtesy of Help Scout. Research by Gregory Ciotti

Corporate Responsibility: What Is Your Business Doing?

From a business standpoint, giving back to the community is called Corporate Social Responsibility. Haven't heard of it? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a company's commitment to practice ethically while assisting in building the economy it thrives in. 

Customers purchase products and services from companies they trust. This is why building relationships is so important in the success of a business. Companies that have a heavy impact within the community and give back to those who support them are more likely to gain trust and inhabit valuable returning customers. 

A survey by Landor Associates, Penn Schoen Berland and Burson-Marsteller proved the important of CSR to customers when it found that even in today's struggling economy
75 percent of consumers believe social responsibility is important. Another 55 percent  said they would actually choose a product that supports a particular cause over other similar products that don't.

Wondering what you can do within your community to insure your trust in customers, place your business in a positive light and help strengthen your local economy?

• Donate to a local charity 
• Sponsor a local event
• Find something you are passionate about and help create awareness
• Encourage your employees to volunteer around the community.  Maybe at a food kitchen, animal shelter or children's youth programs.

There are so many things that can be done. The main idea is to just give back. Spend some time helping others and really make a difference.