Courtesy of juliagillmor.com

Idea Generation and Instant Inspiration

As a social media manager you already know that coming up with good ideas can be tough, on a day-to-day basis. That’s why you need to know where to get your daily dose of inspiring content that gets the idea machine going. Here is where you can get inspired:

#1: Subscribe To YouTube Channels

YouTube is seriously one of the best ways to source information today. Even if you don’t sign into an actual account, the algorithm that governs YouTube will track what you like to watch, and give you suggestions based on those past videos.

When you specifically use YouTube for niche inspiration, the algorithm will do all the searching and legwork for you – all you have to do is open the site! You’ll instantly get a list of news, music, entertainment, popular and recommended feeds that will help get those ideas flowing. Subscribe to the channels you love.

#2: The Social Bookmarking Sites

Use sites like Digg, Reddit and StumbleUpon to explore the web. On StumbleUpon for example, you can sign up and tell the site what you’re interested in. Then it will take you through new and exciting sites that Google has never shown you before.

When I’m out of ideas, I often nip over to StumbleUpon, and use their random search tool. You can find some incredible sites and people out there, who are hidden in a sea of SEO. This is especially good for bloggers, social managers and people looking for niche content.

#3: Circle The Right Google+ People

There are some people on Google+ that are full time curators – or at least it seems that way. If you happen to come across one of these individuals, you’ll immediately notice how they post 5-10 fresh pieces of highly engaging and interesting content every day. You can use these suggestions to inspire blog posts or new Pinterest images.

The trick is to shop around for the right people to circle on Google+. If you can do that, you’ll have access to at least 30 people that are brilliant at finding inspiring content – so you don’t have to look on page 3045 on Google to find a fascinating article.

#4: Other Niche Blogs

I love seeing what other niche bloggers are up to, and where they are getting their content ideas from. It’s often from other influencers in their network, or from personal experiences that they have. Sometimes you can encounter a post that was written so well, it sparks ideas in your own head about a niche subject or issue. Use it to create new content.

#5: Specific Pinterest Pages

Pinterest is a world of inspiration and images. If you can’t find anything inspiring in copy-form, there are plenty of great images, tutorials and infographics to get those ideas moving. Find boards that you like and make sure that you visit them often. The best image curators will post several times a day, so you’ll never be short of image inspiration.

Courtesy of webbythoughts.com

#6: Browse The Online Libraries

There are libraries online that contain endless books, journals and publications that can add a bit of spice to any subject. All you have to do is subscribe to get access to thousands of quality materials. Sometimes this is the best way to ensure that you are providing your fans with the quality of content that they deserve.

#7: Certain Twitter Feeds

Twitter is a knowledge hub for social media managers, and it’s brimming with inspiration! Just use your niche hashtags to find the latest news or story. You can also follow influencers in your niche, to hear what they have to say about the news in your industry. Then you can use the opinion of influencers to inspire you, for excellent content ideas.

#8: Key Facebook Business Pages

‘Fan’ or ‘like’ key Facebook business pages to get the latest information coming up on your feeds every day. This is a great way to source expert information as it is published. As you know, time matters with content creation – so getting the story down first is very important to getting people interested in reading it.

#9: Become a Fan of Meme Sites

Interestingly enough, meme sites have evolved into more than simply ‘joke sites.’ They contain a lot of good information and social commentary about the latest news of the day, and can present interesting concepts in creative ways. If you’re really stuck for content, try searching a niche topic on your favorite meme site for a fresh perspective.

#10: Use Amazon, Etsy and Ebay

Where can you find out what is hot and happening in the world of niche sales? On sites like Amazon, Etsy and Ebay of course! Checking in to see what is new on these major selling sites is a great way of staying informed. Simply search for new books in your niche, new products, or bestsellers. Some of them can be surprising and inspiring!

Make a point of checking in on a few of these sites each week, to keep yourself informed. Even if you don’t need any new ideas, it’s never a bad idea to keep your finger on the pulse of your niche, and these sites will do it for you. If you aren’t using StumbleUpon, Pinterest and Twitter to help you find fresh content, start doing it now! It makes all the difference.

Where do you find inspiring, interesting niche content? Any sites or methods to recommend? Leave them here.

Courtesy of imagineerz on Flickr.com

Resolution #1: Picture it on Pinterest

Why not start with 2012’s lead social media story? Many have been slow to take advantage of the sudden surge of popularity of the latest online sensation–but the research numbers are too dramatic to ignore.

In the past 12 months, Pinterest usage has grown by over 1000%, with the nearest competitor being Google Plus, at 80%. Make no mistake–Facebook is still the social media champ by a huge margin, but Pinterest’s marketing firepower is nothing to sneeze at. According to a recent study, fifty brands who did a Pinterest promotion found that it caused a 150% jump in followers.

Resolution #2: Don’t minimize mobile

According to NBC News, the number of Facebook users who began accessing the site through tablets and smartphones jumped 24% from June to September of 2012–and is now well over 30 million. The company also put out a statement pointing to their increasingly mobile future: “…we anticipate that the rate of growth in mobile usage will exceed the growth in usage through personal computers for the foreseeable future and that the usage through personal computers may be flat or continue to decline in certain markets.”

Mobile social media marketing requires a different approach that respects consumers that are on the go and, at the same time, creates a positive engagement with them–so make sure you make that shift with your strategy.

Resolution #3: Transform customers into your sales force

It was once again recently confirmed that, when it comes to recommendations for products and services, people trust other people similar to them far more than any sophisticated marketing campaigns. For example, 92% of consumers listen to people they personally know, while 70% of them also trust online consumer reviews. After that, the numbers fall off sharply.

The moral of this story? The more “fans” you create, the more “likes” you motivate and the more “shares” you inspire, the more success you’ll continue to experience–as others in your customers’ circles observe what their friends and relatives buy and follow suit.

Resolution #4: Take it inside, not just outside

Many companies are creating their own internal social media networks to boost morale, share news, gain feedback and solicit ideas for improvement. For instance, Unisys CEO Ed Coleman created his own Facebook-style system for employees and management to increase efficiency and keep everyone up to speed.

The next generation of workers welcomes this kind of approach; they’re used to communicating online and want their workplace to encourage the practice.

Resolution #5: Don’t disregard any demographic

Many still make the mistake of considering social media usage strictly an under-30 activity. Yes, 92% of that age group is on Facebook, Twitter, and the like, but 57% of those 50 to 64 years of age and even 38% of those over 65 are also engaged on at least one social network. Should any marketer seriously consider ignoring that portion of a demographic?

To quote Mike Bal of the Chicago-based agency, Baseline21, “The biggest change we will see in the next year is that we are over the main hump on the adoption curve. At this point it’s not a specific demographic, it’s all of them from grandmas to elementary-aged children.”

Social media marketing continues to be a fascinating field to watch, as it expands and evolves at a rapid pace and in unexpected ways. Its fast-moving force provides plenty of potential payoffs.

Any social media predictions of your own that you’d like to share with the SMMU community?

Courtesy of mashable.com

Pinterest Marketing Disclaimer

Heads up: Pinterest is not your own personal advertising pin-board. Before you do anything on the platform you have to focus it at your fans or pinners. If they aren’t instantly taken with your image – they’re not going to repin it.

Pinterest marketing is about creating brand images that people will want to add to their personal pin-collections. That means there are rules that you need to follow if you want your images to go viral on Pinterest.

Step 1: Make Your Images Beautiful

Pinterest marketing is technically about getting your product or service images out there for people to like and share, but that
doesn’t mean they have to be ‘stock-standard’ and boring.

The Instagram effect on images is a big hit, or you can use an online photo editing program like befunky.com, or just zap a trendy effect on your photo in Photoshop. You’ll be amazed at how much better an image can look when it’s been put through a filter.

Action plan: For optimum Pinterest marketing, make your images gorgeous and artistic.

Courtesy of makehere.blogspot.com

Step 2: Try Some Mainstream Pandering

Pinterest marketing is about identifying the current trends, and modeling your pinboard images or general strategy on these pins. Just take a look at the top 6 pins that have been so widely shared on Pinterst.

1. A recipe for hasselback garlic cheesy bread
2. Rainbow fruit kebabs
3. Lovely framing compositions
4. A recipe for Disney’s loaded baked potato soup
5. Frozen strawberry mojito recipe
6. Frozen yogurt drops recipe

These were the most shared images of 2012. As a Pinterest marketing person, this should tell you a few things. Namely that people love to learn, they love food, and they get excited about step-by-step images.

Action plan: For a great pinterest marketing strategy, create instructional, recipe-like images.

Step 3: Be Inspirational and Positive

There’s nothing quite like an inspirational quote to put you in a good mood. Pinterest is brimming with inspiring quotes! People love, love, love to share meaningful words. For Pinterest marketing, this means a clever way to get your product photos shared.

Action plan: For pinterest marketing inspiration, create or use powerful quotes in your product images that resonate with the product.

Step 4: Be a Description Pro

You can leave a description with your image that goes below it once published. These are amazingly important in Pinterest marketing, and are barely used properly. Your description should tell the viewer what your image is all about, or add something extra to the conversation. And ALWAYS ask people to repin your image, it works!

Action plan: Pinterest marketing means fun, creative or interesting descriptions so that people can get a better idea about what your image is trying to say or do.

Courtesy of cartdesigners.com

Step 5: Pinterest Marketing Secrets

Make friends with 10 top Pinterest influencers and share their content all the time. When you post content of your own – these influencers will return the favor – instantly sharing your image with thousands of potential repinners.

Action plan: Be an active repinner, but focus your efforts on Pinterest influencers.

Did you like today’s post on Pinterest marketing? Then please share it!

Also – how do you get people to share your Pinterest images? Any secrets?

Courtesy of lifeinsurancefinder.com.ai

Social Media After You Die

It’s sad, but even after you die, your social media presence lives on. People invest so much time and effort into their social profiles these days, they’re like a living reminder of the person who passed. But social media is fast becoming an excellent outlet for people that have lost someone and are grieving.

A Facebook group dedicated to the deceased, along with how they died – makes for a great place to spread the word about their death, and to keep people updated on funeral details. I have a few people in my life that have passed, and there is one Facebook group in particular, where people still post their condolences, kind words and pictures after 3 years.

So there’s no doubt in my mind that social media has evolved into a vital part of the grieving process for friends and family.

Courtesy of thebuzzbuilders.tumblr.com

What Happens To Your Accounts Once You’re Gone?

Facebook: When someone passes on Facebook, you can send a note to the Facebook admin to take down their page, or to keep it in a ‘memorial’ state. Because Facebook is like a public diary, many family members don’t want it to be deleted.

Twitter: You can contact the Twitter admin and request that they take down the user account that won’t be used anymore. If you don’t want to close your loved one’s Twitter page, there are other options I’ll let you in on below.

Flickr: Unfortunately, for the friends and family of Flickr users, they won’t release any private photos from their site, if a user passes. The account will remain live and in public for the most part.

Isn’t There a Better Way of Handling This?

The answer is yes. Savvy business people have seen that there is a growing need to safely leave someone your digital information (passwords and logins) after you’ve died. There are several great sites out there today that you can use to ensure that your social profile is handed over to a friend or family member.

Courtesy of crunchbase.com

One of these sites, Legacy Locker, allows you to protect these online assets of yours for a small fee. If you only want to give someone 3 accounts, then it’s free. You can also check out Entrustet, My Webwill and Assetlock.

If you want to leave your friends and family members a final message from beyond the grave, then you can sign up to ‘Greatgoodbye’ a service that will send one final email to everyone on your list, after your death. Details of your account should go to a trusted source.

These are just some of the ways people are dealing with death on social platforms. Have you heard of any others? Tell me about them here!

Courtesy of thrustinternet.com

#1: The Word ‘Teach’

People always look for value in posts, so when they see the word ‘teach’ they know that they’re going to learn something. This is a great start to getting readers to communicate.

#2: The Word ‘Inspire’

Your social media fans love positive re-enforcement, so the word inspire is always well received. Most people would never say no to being a little inspired during the day.

#3: The Word ‘Motivate’

Everyone wants to be motivated, so when you have a secret weapon that will help them do just that, people respond to it. Tell your fans you have something that will get them moving!

#4: The Word ‘Share’

Social media is about sharing, but the word isn’t used much in the context of actually sharing something. Share and use the word, for a double whammy that will attract your fan’s attentions.

#5: The Word ‘Free’

Now, free can sometimes be a bad thing – but used on a credible site like yours, it can be a winner. Entice fans to engage with your brand using the word ‘free’ – it totally works!

#6: The Word ‘Entertain’

If there’s one thing you need to know about the internet, it’s that people LOVE to be entertained here. Promise them some great entertainment, and they’ll follow you anywhere.

#7: The Word ‘Now’

It’s easy to overuse the word ‘now’ so that it loses its meaning. Use it well, and it can have a very powerful effect on your fans. But this is only if you do it right, from now!

#8: The Word ‘Help’

While you aren’t a helpdesk, your fans often need help with things that they can’t find answers too online. Use the word help to direct them to the right information in your posts.

#9: The Word ‘Reward’

Fans love rewards, but they never know when they’re going to get them. Hype your posts and incentives by using the magical word ‘rewards’ and your interaction will spike.

#10: The Word ‘Discover’

When you use the word ‘discover’ it makes your readers feel like you have some exclusive piece of never-before-seen information, just for them. That’s why it works!

Use these 10 words to enhance your Facebook updates, tweets, blog post titles, Pinterest comments and Google+ updates. They have been found to have the most impact in the English language, on other people. Test word combos to see how they perform together.

For example: “Discover How This Inspiring Word Combo Will Help You Now – Rewards To Come!” Obviously you shouldn’t use them all in one sentence, but you get the idea!

Browse through your Facebook posts. Which words have received the most response from your fans? Add them here!

Courtesy of agilescout.com

#1: Social Media Has Matured

Social media is no longer some wishy-washy fad concept that will blow by at any minute. It’s matured into what is the most important marketing route forward for your business. Executives that are still dabbling in or ignoring social media are going to find themselves coming last in the marketing race, in a few years’ time.

Social media is not only here to stay, it’s taking over. Sideline it at your own great peril.

#2: Facebook is a Sound Investment

Facebook continues to grow like crazy, thanks to a very clever expansion and development plan from this idea team. Your Facebook business page is essential to the success of your social media strategy. Some experts are even saying that as much as 30% of your social spend should be limited to Facebook. It’s where your clients are!

Spend more time this year developing your Facebook page, and investing in advertising.

#3: Pinterest is Poised For Mass Traffic

You’ve heard about the new site Pinterest, but haven’t bothered to test it out for your business. Well here are some sobering stats for you – Pinterest drives more traffic than Twitter and Google+, and it attracts more interaction than anything on Facebook. In other words, it’s highly valuable to your overall social marketing strategy.

Executives who focus on Pinterest early, will be rewarded with huge traffic streams.

#4: Social Media is Going Mobile

If your business has yet to jump on the mobile bandwagon – do. All social media in the future will be accessible, perhaps even exclusively, by mobile. With devices out there that keep people on the go, it’s unwise to not get involved in the changing online attitude. Your websites need to be mobile. You need mobile apps and infrastructure.

Prepare for the mobile onslaught by investing in mobile technology early on.

#5: Be The Interaction You Want To See

If your pages are dead and lifeless – you’re not out there making friends and supporting other people’s social campaigns. If you want lots of fans, followers and engagement, then you need to be highly interactive yourself. No one is going to do it for you. Get your staff involved – start a sharing movement in your business.

These five crucial points will keep executives working in the right areas, while improving their overall business. Best of all – they’ll be steps ahead of their competition, because they had the vision to see the social future. Get your business involved in these points, if you want to have large scale success later on in the life of your business.

Is there something else executives should know about social media? List your tip here for our community to see!

ATLANTA, Ga. – Social Media Marketing University (SMMU), a leader in social media training, was named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Best Training Site category in the 9th Annual International Business Awards on August 15. Entries were received from more than 50 nations and territories, and more than 300 executives worldwide participated in the judging process.

In addition to the International Business Awards, SMMU has been recognized by The Mashable Awards, Forbes magazine’s America’s Most Promising Companies campaign and the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG).

SMMU first launched in 2009. Since then, the e-learning firm has provided social media and online marketing training to more than 85,000 entrepreneurs and business professionals around the world. SMMU currently offers 12 comprehensive course modules, certification for experienced or aspiring social media strategists and weekly professional development webinars.

“This award further validates our commitment to helping businesses increase visibility and revenue by providing them with the most comprehensive social media training available,” said John Souza, founder and chief strategist of SMMU. “It’s an honor to be recognized alongside such well-respected industry leaders as SAP, Siemens, Accenture, Fiat-Chrysler and InterContinental Hotels Group.”

This year’s International Business Awards will be presented at a gala event at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul, South Korea on Monday, October 15, 2012.

To learn more about SMMU and its award-winning social media training program, visit www.smmu.com.

To interview John Souza, or inquire about speaking engagements or guest blogs and columns, contact Ty Mays at (770) 256-8710 or [email protected]. Souza is available for interviews and guest blogs or columns and is available to provide commentary on social media trends, best practices and crises, and the impact of social media on breaking news stories.

About Social Media Marketing University

Social Media Marketing University (SMMU) is the world’s most trusted social media training program. Courses are taught by some of the world’s foremost authorities on social media and online marketing best practices, and the social media course curriculum includes interactive sessions and instruction on social media strategy, platforms and tools.

The program currently boasts nearly 3,000 graduates, and more than 85,000 business owners and business professionals have attended SMMU’s social media webinars. For more information, visit www.smmu.com.

Courtesy of Mashable.com

#1: Real Life Drives Online Social

If, like many other small businesses online, you find your social campaigns lacking interaction – there’s a very simple way to solve that problem. As the Mashable meetups proved, real life is what truly drives social interaction online. Get out there, take photographic evidence, share real experiences and network with others who are doing the same!

Tip! If you’re not yet involved in conferences, workshops, seminars and networking events, then get involved now.

#2: The Power of Hashtags Revisited

Social media day was just another piece of evidence that hashtags can be an instrumental part of your marketing campaign. Mashable seized upon the hashtag #SMDay, and promoted it across 278 cities. The result was a blast of information during the meetups, with enough attention to make even the most lazy marketer come away with new fans, and a massive boost in sales. It’s the eyes and interaction you want.

Tip! If you’re going to be part of an event, get a hashtag going so that people can interact online during the event!

#3: The Benefits of Live Tweeting

Pete Cashmore understands the benefits of live tweeting. I’d bet almost anything that during these meetups, the Mashable site received a huge increase in traffic from all over the net. Live tweeting is a potent form of marketing, and can be used to speak directly to large numbers of people all over the globe, at a given time.

Tip! Live tweeting allows you to collect live market research, source social proof, do some high impact sales, and will attract bulk traffic to your sites.

#4: Building a Large Fan Base

The recent meetups for social media day are a great reminder about how important it is to build a following of real people, who interact with your business. In less than a week, you can organize events, and have large numbers on your side. Imagine how much more successful your product launches, sales and gatherings will be.

Tip! Don’t forget to build your fan base each month. Just remember to make sure that they are all real people, who genuinely like interacting with you.

#5: Fan Relationships For Viral Networking

When you have a dedicated fan base of ‘friends’ you have access to their communities. Your 5000 followers, and 50 other people’s 2000 followers will all be able to see your message, if you really want to get it out there. That’s over 100,000 people that might see your message. It’s controlled viral marketing, and it only happens when you have close relationships with fans.

Tip! Build up a network of fans who are only too glad to share your posts. This will trigger a controlled viral marketing effect, which leads to success nearly every time.

Do you have a great social media tip that you learned during social media day? Share it with the SMM community here!