Featured posts
Who wants to be an Internet celebrity?
Remember when spending time online was considered a waste? Increasingly, the extent to which we have established an online identity is being given 'real world' importance. Standing alongside other tenets such as practical experience, or expertise on a particular topic, a wide-ranging and well connected network is often seen as an almost equally significant indicator of somebody worth paying attention to. You and whose army? This is evident in the way in which individuals and organisations … [Read More...]
5 Brands Making Great Use of Instagram
Instagram can be a hard nut to crack for brands. Done well, it can be a great and direct route to an eager audience. Done badly, and it can make your brand reek like a dumpster situated out the back of a nappy testing facility. Here are five brands that are making great use of Instagram. 1 - Sharpie Sharpie is a fantastic example. For one thing, they are actually using their product to create some really creative content, yet it doesn’t feel like they’re forcing marketing messages down … [Read More...]
Friday Freak Out – Instagram Eyeburners!
'Hey man, you on Instagram? Awesome, I'll follow you, can't wait to see your shots, bet they are super-arty and creative! Rock the hell on man.' Instagram is pretty neat. Big audience, cool features, hell, it has even had the pre-requisite privacy controversy. You do see some pretty awesome shots on there, scenery, fixie bikes (!) and buildings. The filters allow us all to be that little bit creative, even 'quirky'. So why in the name of the big man floating in the sky, use it to punish our … [Read More...]
The Social Penguin Blog is Back!
Yes, we are back. We've got a new team of writers with the drive to make The Social Penguin Blog a force once more. I had to slow things down due to big changes in my career and personal life, but with the help of my fellow Penguins, the future for Dave and his blog is bright! You can read all about our team here. What will we be bringing you? The blog has always been about delivering easy to absorb, practical and helpful content spanning the world of social media, content and digital … [Read More...]
Great Social Tools for Social Causes
Using social media to reach out to the masses clearly isn’t a new concept so it makes perfect sense that social causes would also make use of social platforms to amplify their message. Social media is inexpensive, it has a further reach than most traditional media options and you never know, your heartfelt efforts may even go viral. Hello, KONY. The concept might be old hat but there are some interesting applications and networks that are making it easier than ever to activate your would-be … [Read More...]
The Social Penguin Blog in Hiatus
Hello all, Just a note to say sorry for the lack of new content here. I'm really struggling to resource The Social Penguin Blog. This is mainly due to the fact that I've started my own business and recently have become a Dad and time is at a real premium. I don't want this to be the end of the blog and I am looking into options for keeping it alive while maintaining quality. If you know any great writers (or are interested yourself!), please do get in touch. Dave the Social Penguin is … [Read More...]
5 Tips for Excellent Social Media Customer Service
I was asked to write a guest blog by Mike after entering in a Twitter debate with Virgin Media a few weeks ago. After reading his blog post about Virgin Media’s poor social customer service, I was shocked that they provided such poor online service. 28 days to respond to an email says it all really! I’m a blogger and work as a social media manager and have learnt social as I go along, trying and practising new ideas all the time. I have put together a few guidelines that I have developed … [Read More...]
Friday Freak Out – Pointless Twitter Customer Service (@virginmedia)
The Penguin has been asleep, and I 'm sorry I have to wake it with a rant, but I'm sure you can handle it readers. In my home, my TV and broadband is supplied by Virgin Media. I'll not bore you with the details, however I had a bill-based query to run past them. I took to the phone, and after a highly confusing (and long) discussion with a person in a foreign contact centre (grrrrrr!), I was none the wiser. My next step was to take to their website, fill in a contact form and await a response. … [Read More...]
Mike McGrail Launches Velocity Digital
Hello Social Penguin readers! I'm delighted to announce that after weeks of planning, dreaming, sweating and indeed fretting, I've launched my first ever business - Velocity Digital. I've set up a consultancy offering a number of services based around digital marketing, with a focus on social media and content. Of course, my approach is fully integrated and it does not stop at social and content. My business is based in Edinburgh, Scotland, however I have the ability to work across the United … [Read More...]
How to Find Great Content Within your Business
'We don't have anything interesting to say' I've heard that so many times over the past few years, normally in response to me telling a business that they need to start producing content. I can only think of one occasion when this transpired to be true, the rest of the time, after a brief investigation, it transpires that the vast majority of businesses do have something interesting to say. Content discovery is a big area, but there are a few simple themes that you can use to identify content … [Read More...]
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