The social media sandbox might feel a tad intimidating at first – especially if you are not a 20-something, fresh out of college, tech-/Web 2.0-saavy go-getter. Before your eyes glaze over and that Twitter-twitch sets in, relax! You too can use social media to cross promote your content or event.

While this post will not provide a specific fill-in-the-blank formula for how to promote your event or product, I want you to expand your thoughts about targeted cross promotion.

Let’s take an example event and explore ways to promote it using social media: Your business is participating in a tradeshow to promote its latest product.

Ways to Use Web Sites for Publicity
First, use your own company Web site to highlight your participation in the tradeshow. You can do that in a number of ways…maybe you add a news release, make a calendar note on your home page, discuss it on your product review…you might want to add a downloadable .pdf file to your site that highlights the tradeshow…you certainly want to link to the tradeshow’s Web site and ask them to link back.

Blog to Spread the Word
If you blog, write a post or two about your upcoming participation. Consider adding a special offer to those who read your blog. This could be an incentive to attend the event and redeem the code for a discount or free gift. Establish Google and Twitter alerts to track conversations about the tradeshow and your product. If you see other people blogging about the event or your product, jump in and remind them of your participation and booth number. (You can set up alerts through Twitter when you type a word(s) into Search and then Save This Search, or use a separate program like TweetBeep.)

Are there appropriate industry blogs you can read and submit comments about the tradeshow and your participation? Remember that the idea is not to spam by simply adding your company link. Rather, you want to listen to relevant conversations and add valuable input whenever possible.

Video Makes it Visual
Video is another form of social media. Create a video that highlights your new product and invite customers to personally check it out at the tradeshow. Remember to distribute your video in places like YouTube and TubeMogul, as well as on your Web site.

Jump into Facebook and Twitter
Ask the tradeshow organizers whether they established a Facebook page and Twitter #hashtag for the event. If so, participate in those social media forums. You also want to create your own Tweets and Facebook status updates within your profile discussing your participation and product. Once again, these are both great places to make a special offer to create buzz. Tweet a discount code to be redeemed in person…or a special gift code available to Facebook fans. Remember, the value of cross promotion is to get your message out in as many targeted outlets as possible. In this case, you want to draw people to the tradeshow and to your booth where you can meet them face to face.

Delve even deeper into Facebook and Twitter by finding local businesses or people that are potential customers. What I mean is, maybe the tradeshow is in Chicago and your product is for restaurant kitchens. Search out Facebook fan pages for Chicago-based restaurants, the Chamber of Commerce, Chicago small businesses, etc. Become a fan of those pages and leave status updates about your participation in the upcoming tradeshow and how those fans can benefit from your product. Then, invite them to stop by your booth.

Likewise through Twitter’s advanced search…find appropriate Twitter profiles in Chicago and become a follower.

Participate in Forums
Search for appropriate forums and start commenting. Using the previous example, it might make sense to find forums that discuss Chicago restaurant reviews and join those discussions…even better, find a forum for restaurant owners!

I hope this discussion about using social media to cross promote sparked a few ideas and helps you find a way to integrate this neat medium into your publicity plan. Read the NetStrategies blog or watch Internet Marketing TV to learn more ways to improve your online presence and drive measurable results to your Web site.

1. Do interview your existing clients and see what blogs they read. Start reading and commenting in those blogs.
2. Do not write meaningless comments just to get your Web site link attached. Do lend your expertise.
3. Do start blogging with relevant content.
4. Do not be inconsistent once you start blogging. Keep it up!
5. Do find out whether your customers Facebook, Twitter, or use some other social media platform. Open accounts and participate.
6. Do not Tweet or Facebook off topic. Your potential customers do not care that you are off to bed. They do care if you are testing a new and improved solution to their problem.
7. Do submit your news releases to Digg, Delicious, and a newswire (paid or free).
8. Do add RSS feeds to the content on your Web site and blog.
9. Don’t ignore negative comments about your company or product in social media.
10. Do address negative comments and see whether you can help solve the problem.

11. Do cross market your organization using many different media formats. After you write your blog, turn it into a video, a Podcast, and a slideshow.
12. Do submit your blogs and video blogs to a variety of directories.
13. Do ask your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and business contacts to take a look and your blog and leave a comment or rating.
14. Don’t use someone else’s material and “forget” to give them credit. First, it’s stealing. Second, you miss the opportunity for a link! (FYI, this list is compiled from helpful blog posts and Tweets I’ve learned from over the months, plus some life lessons I’ve figured out on my own!)
15. Do Tweet the praises of others.
16. Do check your social media writing for typos and grammar before you post.
17. Do use your own voice in social media.
18. Don’t forget about search engine optimization in social media.
19. Do look for tools to help your social media efforts. Many are free.
20. Don’t use foul or raunchy language when socializing online. You never know whom you might offend.
21. Do remember social media postings are long-lasting and far-reaching.
22. Don’t diss a customer, business associate, co-worker, boss, or competitor in social media. It will come back to haunt you.
23. Do use social media to share your expertise with others.
24. Don’t use social media to overtly sell your product or service. Social media is social!

What do’s and don’ts do you follow? Add your own do’s and don’ts and together we can build the social media list of all lists!

It’s the simple things in life we sometimes take for granted. For example, the view from my desk of the Occoquan Marina in Northern Virginia is lovely, even on rainy days. Without question it puts me into a better frame of mind for writing. No matter how many times I see a bald eagle swoop through the sky, it never fails to give me a thrill! My poor husband works from a windowless cubicle deep within the Pentagon. How can I forget how fortunate we are at NetStrategies to see such beauty while working?

Likewise, I seldom give a second thought to the great tools at my disposal for work like Google Reader and HootSuite.

I use Google Reader for reputation management, brand and keyword monitoring, and blog consolidation. It is really a wonderful application that helps with efficiency. As an added bonus, Google, a company that never sits on its laurels, continues to improve and expand its features.

These are a few ways to use Google Reader for business:
1. Set up Google Alerts (another great tool not yet available in Bing as of this posting) and feed into Google Reader. I follow a number of alerts including NetStrategies staff members, our company name, and terms like Internet marketing. If someone mentions our company name, I can follow the link and see the context. It allows me to stay on top of discussions involving our company, staff, product lines, etc.

2. Send all RSS feeds you follow to Google Reader. For example, I follow several blogs and scan them through Reader. This is the simplest way to breeze through the many blogs I follow and open ones that really pique my interest.

3. Google Reader shows me any Tweets mentioning words I set as search terms in Twitter. This is a quick way to monitor Twitter talk, retweets, and replies.

4. You can now share posts through social media platforms right from Google Reader through the new “Send to” feature. Simply open the settings page and enable the services you want to use. If your favorite service isn’t listed you can create your own “Send to” link with a URL template.

HootSuite Makes Twittering Much Easier
HootSuite makes my job of managing multiple Twitter accounts a snap. Log into HootSuite using your Twitter account email and password, then add to your profile any additional Twitter accounts you use. I manage my own profile lauriedunlop as well as NetStrategies and InternetMktgTV. The Hootsuite dashboard (newly improved) lets me toggle between the different accounts and see retweets, replies, direct messages, Twitter stream, and more. I like that I can schedule Tweets through HootSuite, too. You can also track Twitter statistics.

What tools or programs do you use to simplify your workflow? Leave a comment and share your favorites!

Everything is measurable in Internet marketing. That’s the mantra my company NetStrategies stands by! Analytics is the tool by which we measure. In following the data, a smart content writer can determine what a target audience does and does not respond to. The data helps you understand who your visitors are, where they come from, and where they exit during the buy-in process.

A good content writer understands how analytics works even if they are not certified experts on the topic. I’ve studied the educational modules on Google Analytics’ Web site called Conversion University. I recommend anyone working with Web sites at least reads through the material to gain a baseline understanding of what data is available through analytics and how you can use that information. (Actually my boss “encouraged” me to enroll for that very reason, and I’m grateful I did!)

Google Analytics is one example of data tracking and measurement. If used and interpreted properly, it is a fantastic way to track your online progress and make changes based on real data.

Here are two other very simple ways to measure your social media efforts if they are included in your content delivery plan, Facebook Insights and YouTube Insight.

If video is part of your content plan, you can upload to YouTube as a free delivery method. It helps that YouTube is also a household name! Did you know you can access Insight through your account see the analytical data on how your video performs?

Insight, YouTube’s analytics and reporting product, allows you to view detailed statistics about the videos you upload to the site. It charts video views on an interactive time line and map, letting you drill down into different geographic regions and see the viewing activity in those regions over selected time periods. You can also compare the relative popularity of your videos in a given region to all other videos in that region.

To see Insights on your own videos, log on to YouTube and click on the “Insight” button under “Account” > “My Videos” > “Insight.”
YouTube plans to launch new features and additional analytics including viewer demographics, how viewers are engaging with videos (playback length, ratings, comments), and a breakdown of how viewers are discovering videos (e.g. search, email, embeds etc.).
Insight includes a report download section so you can easily share the numbers with your boss or your customer!

For more in depth reporting, Google Analytics integrates with YouTube brand channels, giving partners and advertisers more analytical data by fully enabling Google Analytics reporting. Brand channel owners can track metrics such as how long visitors stay, repeat visits, bounce rates, and page views per visitor.

If a Facebook Fan page or movement is a way you deliver content to your stake holders, use Facebook Insights to dive into the context of those interactions with analytics. Insights illustrates how users are interacting with your page, broken down by Wall posts, likes, and comments. Your Post Quality shows you how engaging your posts are to your fans, and your star rating compares your Post Quality to other pages of similar size. Your Fans Over Time graph allows you to track when users decide to unsubscribe from your posts in their News Feed. It also includes statistics on where your fan base is located and which languages they speak. To export your reports, click “Switch to the Old Insights” in the menu and follow the Export link. Facebook plans to add new metrics in the coming weeks and months.

Your stake holders determine the quality of your content when they engage and follow through. Follow the numbers to better tailor your content to what your stakeholders want.

My husband calls himself a Facebook widower. That’s because I spend on average 10-15 minutes an evening catching up with friends and updating my status. For me, Facebook is a wonderful way to stay in touch with old friends, many of whom I lost touch with over the years. I’ve reconnected with high school, college, and Army friends. Plus I’ve friended new people since moving to Northern Va.

I frequently receive invitations to “friend” people as business contacts. It is a question I initially struggled over since my postings are purely personal and have nothing to do with Internet marketing. Though I see the social networking value of Facebook for work, I don’t see how to mix the two under one profile.

If Facebook ever changes their Terms of Use, the solution for me would be the creation of a second Laurie Dunlop profile that sticks to business networking. That way I could build professional contacts and integrate content with my Twitter account which I use for business. Unfortunately, Facebook does not allow this.

Facebook’s site explains, “Maintaining multiple accounts, regardless of the purpose, is a violation of Facebook’s Terms of Use. If you already have a personal account, then we cannot allow you to create business accounts for any reason. You can manage all the Pages and Social Ads that you create on your personal account.”

How do you use Facebook? Do you find yourself in a similar predicament? If so, what was your solution?

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It happens. You make a short-tempered comment with your outside voice, wishing at once you had kept that statement to yourself. Yes, perhaps the auto mechanic is an idiot, or the cable company customer service rep should solve your problem sooner. But I know your mother taught you long ago, as did mine, take the higher road and never lower yourself. You’re better than that, right?

Your Tweet IS your outside voice. In fact, it’s louder and never fades away with the breeze. The Internet’s ability to remember is eternal. Like those dead sea scrolls, people can dig up your Tweets and anything else you write online for posterity.

Tweet responsibly. The New York Times recently reported that author Roberta Silman, upset by a negitive Boston Globe book review, Tweeted her displeasure and even posted the reviewer’s phone number and email, asking fans to “Tell her what you think of snarky critics.” Silman later issued a statement through her publisher, explaining “… in the heat of the moment I responded strongly and I wish I hadn’t. I’m sorry if I offened anyone.” She reportedly terminated her Twitter account.

CareerBuilder.com writer Rachel Zupek highlights a number of workplace firings that recently occurred as a direct result of Tweets and Facebook postings that the author forgot the reach of social media.

Remember to use your grown-up filter when you participate in the world of social media. Think of it as a face-to-face conversation with your most valued customer, future employer, and mom all wrapped up in one. Tweet with dignity and respect!

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So what makes a good landing page?

First and foremost, when a potential customer lands on your page he expects it to include the content you promised to deliver. Don’t lure someone in through your PPC ad promising to solve his need for a run-flat tire then reveal on the landing page you only sell tire rims. You must specifically address your visitor’s need — the need you anticipated in your PPC ad, email, or organic search result.

Give your visitor a simple path of conversion and a clear call to action. Don’t fill your landing page with a load of useless drivel. Address the visitor’s need, tell them how you can solve that need with your product or service, and then allow them to take immediate action.

Make sure you include a link to your company’s privacy policy on the landing page. You want your visitor to know his data is protected.

Use analytics to measure your landing page’s effectiveness. Is conversion tracking in place? Test it and work out the bugs. Track bounce rate and time on site. Following these measurements can help you tweak your landing page and convert more onlookers to active participants.

So how mouth-watering is your landing page? How can anyone resist when you give a clear benefit and call to action!

Army leadership began drumming operational security (OPSEC) into my head 20 years ago when my husband was a “butter bar” lieutenant. The recent explosion in social media caused me to wonder what the Army’s official take on this craze is, especially when it comes to OPSEC.

I had the peasure of interviewing Lt. Col. Kevin Arata to ask that very question. He is the director of the Online and Social Media Division Office of the Chief of Public Affairs.

I first asked Lt. Col. Arata whether the explosion of social media is in direct conflict with the Army’s OPSEC policy. He explained that so far it is not. He clarified that from a soldier level, our men and women are well schooled in what they should and should not say. The Army continues to educate them about what is appropriate and what is not throughout their careers. “No soldier would do anything to intentionally harm the Army or put their fellow soldiers at risk,” said Arata. “As long as our leaders continue to educate them the right way, I do not see this changing.”

From an Intel (intelligence) perspective, could the enemy piece things together to figure out something critical? In Arata’s honest opinion it seems unlikely.

On the public affairs (PAO) side Lt. Col. Arata does not view social media as a security concern because PAOs are trained and schooled thoroughly in media relations and OPSEC. According to Arata, the information you read that the Army released through social media is already out in public forums. “We now use social media as another tool to distribute information,” said Arata.

I asked Lt. Col. Arata about family member use of social media and its impact on operational security. After all, civilians are not in the direct chain of command. (Though I can say from experience, we may as well be!) He answered that his focus is at the Army-wide level. His office disseminates information and policy. Currently there is not a planned higher-level mechanism for dealing with a family member’s responsible use of social media (concerning OPSEC).

What I found most interesting is that this platform of social media is still new and ever-changing. The Army, just like any organization, is learning and planning its most effective use, too.

“We are working side by side with our operational security counterparts to learn how best to implement social media,” said Arata.

Arata illustrated there are still gray areas when it comes to OPSEC violation and social media. One OPSEC specialist shared with him an example of an Army family member who posted on Facebook that her soldier was deploying to Sauder City. One staffer saw this as a clear OPSEC violation while another did not because the Unit was already in Sauder City when the information was posted. Arata believes educating family members about OPSEC is key. “My general guideline is if you wouldn’t write your comment on a sign stuck in your front lawn, don’t post it to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. If you have reservations in that scenario, go with your gut!”

I also asked Lt. Col. Arata what the Army is doing to support good OPSEC while recognizing that soldiers and family members are actively participating in social media. “The bottom line is we educate, not regulate,” he said. “I believe our people know the right thing to do, and I have not personally seen flagrant violations.”

The Army’s Web site operates the official U.S. Army social media pages for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and many more. As of this writing, the Army’s Twitter page had 8,959 followers and 29,082 fans on their Facebook page.

They are dedicated to telling the soldiers’ stories and, in return, promoting those stories to others on social networking sites. Official U.S. Army organizations can submit the URL to their social media page(s) and, once approved, those links will be posted to the social media glossary on the U.S.Army site.

To read the Army’s official blog or connect to their social media sites, visit their Web site.

“From an OPSEC perpective, we do have people that have included, as previously mentioned, such things as when or where their spouses are deployed,” said Lt. Col. Arata. “That could include unit names, locations, sizes, etc. While it’s seemingly harmless, over 80 percent of what Al Quaeda collects is from open source information, so a dozen, or a hundred pieces of information, pieced together from hundreds or thousands of pieces, could end up creating answers to the enemy’s questions. It’s best, therefore, to be very careful about what details are released. For instance, don’t post on a blog that your spouse is deployed. Don’t tell people in an open forum that you are anxiously awaiting your spouse’s return, and put a date! Keep postings and musings generic.”

I found three examples of postings on The U.S. Army Facebook fan page. (I xxed out specific unit names.) Comments like:

Butch xxxxx “just wanted to say again, my son is leaving for iraq, friday his birthday, to help defend our country and freedom, wishing him and all our men and women to be safe, remember to keep your head down and the power day. lets give mark and all our troops a big HOOAH!——”

Lauren xxxx “I love and miss my soldier who is serving in Afganistan right now!! I have survived two weeks of this deployment. Just want to say thanks to all the soldiers for their service and to the families as well for their love and support!!”

Tami xxx “Glad I found this site, my son Tony is currently serving with the xxxth BSB, xxx BCT, xx xxxxx xxx, (Fort xx xx) in Afganistan. I pray every day for his safe return along with his fellow soldiers.”

While each posting alone is not a clear description of unit movement dates and times, it could contribute to giving information to our enemies. Keep in mind I pulled these three quotes from hundreds in a matter of minutes.

Our Army continues to expand its use of social media alongside the business community. This summer they start using social media to monitor key terms and phrases. This can help the Army determine where they need to engage and respond. They already participate in conversations with some military bloggers.

In an effort to ensure consistent knowledge and use of social media across the services, the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard collaborate in their social media efforts by meeting monthly. They have established an All Services Social Media Councel comprised of about 50 people across the services, to include the Department of Defense. They have been meeting regularly for six months now, and in addition to discussing the best practices in social media, they also invite experts to help their efforts. This past month their normal two-hour meeting was arranged as a day-long seminar, hosted by Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies. Presenters included representatives from each of the services, a Georgetown professor, a civilian social media firm, and a Facebook representative. This helps keep all of the services abreast of the latest trends in this quickly changing and advancing field.

Our military’s leadership understands the value of social media to reach out to the public. Admiral That W. Allen, commandant of the United States Coast Guard, updates his blog, iCommandant, from his Treo. General Ray Odierno, commanding general of the Multi National Tast Force in Iraq, owns a very popular Facebook fan page that he updates with comments and news segments from Iraq. (Become a fan and watch a video of Gen. Odierno shaving comedian Stephen Colbert’s head during his recvent visit to Iraq.)

I guess I can stop worrying about my Facebook page and adhere to the same standards I learned many moons ago. It’s ok to share my thoughts in social media as long as I remember safety first for our soldiers, their families, and our country!

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I recently read Adam Ostrow’s Mashable blog entitled, “Is Social Media Making Corporate Websites Irrelevant” and wondered how my Northern Virginia team at NetStrategies would react to that headline. Keep in mind, our area of expertise is helping businesses optimize their Web sites! So I asked my team for a rebuttal and here is their take:

NetStrategies President Rodney Loges comments, “My abbreviated two cents is as follows — social media must play a role in the building of a successful online presence but should not be the only endeavor. To me SM sites are just another channel to reach clients when and where they are online. The basics of marketing apply even in the world of social media. Do you know your customer? Are you solving their problem? What action do you want them to take and is the customer rewarded for doing such? You have to build your foundation etc. before you can install the interior decorations.”

Our vice president and Web development expert John Schultz explains, “The bottom line is that social media is an important communication channel with prospects and customers, but the corporate Web site is still the core of how companies engage customers online. (Adam Ostrow’s) example uses a consumer product where the company is trying to generate buzz online — most of our customers are people who do real transactions or lead development online. The corporate Web site is still the core of customer engagement, and social media is just a touch point or spoke in the wheel that can help the company broaden its reach online.

Another point is that “fans” on Facebook don’t necessarily drive their KPIs. 250,000 fans don’t mean that a company will sell more. It’s a valuable communication channel and an impressive number, but the critical piece of this is how a company uses that channel to drive sales.

You could contrast consumer products (Coke, Pepsi, Vitamin Water) with the real business of generating leads and sales online. Branding is a whole different effort than lead generation and in the B2B world the approach has to be different.”

Robert Moses is the director of operations at NetStrategies. “Corporate Web sites are now and will still be the authoratative source for a company. When a social media user hears about his or her favorite company on Facebook he/she will need to reach the corporate Web site to read the official press release, announcement, opt-in to a spcial offer, or complete an online transaction.”

Stevan Loges is our analytics and Pay Per Click expert. “To me social media is really an extension of a corporate site and involves meeting your customers where they are.

While it seems like everyone is on Facebook, etc. there are still demographics who are not or who are overwhelmed by the majority of applications/requests they receive on a daily basis. There needs to be an alternative for those other users.

Just some ideas, but I agree with the consensus that a social media site could/should never completely take the place of a corporate Web site.”

Steve Reali produces our video and tackles other multi-media projects as well. “Social media CAN be an excellent way to reach a broad audience. Sites like YouTube or MySpace or Facebook allow people with certain needs to find businesses/info they are looking for; however, eventually they will need to come to/interact with the company itself. This is where having the Web site and phone number of the actual company will become a necessity.”

As social media and content marketing manager for the company I believe social media continues to grow in its importance to organizations of all kinds. Will SM ever take the place of a corporate Web site? When it comes to the Internet and how rapidly it is changing, nothing would surprise me.

(Twitter bird compliments of Productive Dreams.)

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