June 2, 2010

Social media profiles can help you prepare for an online crisis

It’s the Thursday before a holiday weekend, and I’m fortunate to be interviewing for what I think would be an amazing freelance writing opportunity. The phone interview goes well. I’ve given the company the link to my website to see some samples of my work and client testimonials. Only the unthinkable happens. I go to post a blog update, and my site’s down! Panic ensues. Why does this always happen to me at the most crucial times?

Well, I figured out part of that reason was my web hosting provider. I switched providers to Dreamhost, and that problem is solved.

But the point is, this scenario offers another great reason for multiple social media profiles. If you are relying on one site on the web for all of your marketing and public relations exposure, you are putting yourself at risk.

I recently encountered an ad agency that, I suppose in an effort to be cutting edge, has no website–just a facebook page. Would you really want your business hinging solely on facebook’s success?

In a crisis –your site is down, facebook is down, one of your profiles or your website has been hacked, the Twitter fail whale has come up for air–you should be prepared to communicate with multiple alternatives. Even when my website is down, clients can see that I’m actively engaging online by following my social media profile links, which I post everywhere online as well as on my e-mail signatures, business cards, resume and invoices.

As you develop your web presence, consider multiple avenues for content distribution. Go beyond your own website, and post everywhere it makes sense for your business. You’ll be better prepared to handle whatever mishaps the Web throws your way.

Tags: crisis, social media, Social Networks
Posted in Best Practices, PR Strategy, Social networking, Uncategorized | No Comments »

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January 28, 2010

foursquare, my new favorite game on the social media playground

I had a sad realization in the past few weeks…I’m slowly growing tired of twitter. It’s been four years since I became @chelbycat. It’ s been a great four years on twitter, but the shiny newness has worn off. Enter foursquare. I signed up for an account earlier this morning, and I’m already addicted. It’s fresh and exciting and intrinsically intuitive to those of us used to being on twitter.

foursquare is a location-based mobile social network that allows users to “check in” at their favorite hangouts–restaurants, bars, stores, etc. Using an app for your mobile phone or sms, foursquare determines your location and posts the check in to your profile as well as to twitter and facebook. Each time you check in, you can offer a tip: I’m @ Food Dudes – Thursday nights are the best dollar tacos in obx. It’s a little bit like Yelp meets twitter, in the sense that you are providing a tweet-sized review of an establishment. Once you’ve checked in, you can see who else is nearby. You can also use foursquare to see where your friends have checked in and keep track of places you’d like to visit.

Add to this the game aspect that each time you check in you earn points towards badges. I’ve earned my “Newbie” badge (so will you when you join and check in for the first time). If you check into a place more than anyone else, you become the Mayor (until someone else tops you). The gang at foursquare knows just how to stroke an early adopter’s ego!

I’ve only checked in twice now (work and Starbucks) and already I love it. I’ll post more as I get using and enjoying foursquare. For now, I’m already seeing tons of opportunity for marketing and public relations. I’ll be including foursquare my social media plans for clients. As the site explains, foursquare is a great way to run a customer loyalty program. By offering coupons and giveaways to your establishment’s Mayor, you encourage customers to check in and tell their friends what they like about your place. By encouraging customers to check in, you can get the equivalent of “word-of-mouth” exposure for your business. And, I can imagine as they monetize the site, there will be lots of room for advertising.

If you sign up, please friend me: foursquare.com/user/chelbycat

Tags: foursquare, marketing, social media, Twitter, word of mouth, Yelp
Posted in Social networking, Twitter, Uncategorized, Web/Tech | 1 Comment »

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