Why Students Must be Creating Their Own Content

Earlier today, I went back to my old University (Edinburgh Napier) to deliver a lecture. As I was sitting waiting to start, I realised how different the life of a marketing student must be now. I graduated in 2005 in to a world that was yet to see the impact and wide adoption of social media. From University I found myself in a number of roles, really getting my teeth in to social media in 2008. I made it my aim to learn as much as I could about the channel and it now represents a huge part of my skills and experience. You could say that I was in a fortunate position as I was in the right place at the right time. If I was a student today, I’d be striving to make the biggest possible impact online, way before I was graduating.

Why You Need to Be a Content Master

The CV is dead. A strong statement, however if I was looking to hire someone for a marketing position, their CV would be way down on my list of priorities. The first thing I would do is search for their name on Google. What am I looking for? At the very least, I want them to be on Twitter. That may sound a bit light-weight, however I believe being active on Twitter can teach someone so much about the fundamentals of social media for business. I also want to know that the person is keen to learn, connect with people and share their knowledge and opinion, so I’m going to look for an active presence. These activities can also teach you so much about person’s character and personality.

Most importantly however, I would want a person to show real ability when it comes to creating content. This doesn’t have to be anything staggering (obviously, the more creative the better!) but it must show me that the person is really on top of their game, striving to have the best possible knowledge of their field and of course, able add their own slant to it. This isn’t a test of their writing as such – people’s writing progresses quickly once they are in the world of work, it’s a test of their ability to create worthwhile and dare I say it ‘engaging’ content. Of course, this content doesn’t have to be written, it can be video or imagery based. It shows a real will to stand out from the crowd, and if students aren’t willing to take the time to do this, then they need to think long and hard about how they are going to make an impression in a highly competitive market.

Don't be a dumbass, get creating!

Not Just About the Content

The creation of great content is all well and good, however the delivery of it is also very very important. If a student is running a blog using the likes of WordPress, I want to see that their posts are well formatted, use imagery and have calls to action throughout. The blog should have the appropriate level of widgets, sharing options, SEO built throughout and of course look good on the eye. Achieving all of this shows that the person can grasp the more technical aspects of a platform and will not need to have their hand-held.

Spreading Their Work

Getting eyes on your content can be tough. But with use of the right social platforms and a bit of graft and persistence, the content in question will start to make an impact. As long as it is useful, thought provoking or even controversial. I’d be keen to see a student using the plethora of social media platforms to good effect, all with the purpose of raising their profile and getting people bought-in to their thoughts. After all, if social media is going to be a part of this person’s role, that is exactly what they may well be doing for their clients.

Stand Up and Out From the Crowd

The social web has meant that students now have the chance to make a name for themselves way before they even graduate. Above all, consistently creating content and using the platforms will show an employer that you are willing to graft and learn. Go forth and prosper!

Are you a student creating great content? Do point us in the direction of it in the comments sections below. Are you an employer who looks for a bit of invention and social media smarts from a potential employee? Am I missing the mark? Do tell.

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Why Social Media Imagery is More Important Than Ever

A picture is worth a thousand words. A video perhaps even more. As the social media channel matures, there is a clear increase in focus on the use of imagery, both still and video, across the established and emerging networks.

The Instagram and Pinterest Effect

I’m not going to talk about the rise of Instagram and Pinterest, don’t worry! The reason they are included as a key part of this post is the clear and rather obvious fact that they are built upon a foundation of imagery. The people that partake in these networks see an image as their first interaction with a piece of content, yes there may be comments attached to the image but it is the photograph (or video in the case of Pinterest) that grabs the initial attention. That image then (hopefully) compels the user to take an action. This could be as simple as a ‘like’ or a deeper action such as clicking the image on Pinterest in order to visit the site that it originated from. What happens then can clearly range from an actual product purchase to a further share on to another network via social sharing buttons – Twitter or Facebook for example. Both of these actions are highly desirable for a brand or business. This all points to the fact that images are becoming an essential on-boarding function.

Facebook Timeline

March 30th is looming and any brand on Facebook better have their Timeline in order. What is one the key components of the Timeline? Yup, a big fat ‘cover image’ that sits a top your TL (that’s what the cool kids are calling it) like a beacon in the night. Your cover image may well be the first impression your business makes on the Facebook audience. If it sucks, they may not proceed any further. If it catches their eye and puts across something special about your brand, it may well be the start of a beautiful relationship. More on-boarding. When it comes to user Timelines on Facebook, images play a huge and attractive part of them. If a user takes a snap on Instagram and shares it via Facebook (on to their Timeline), said image is placed in its full size glory slap bang in the middle of their Timeline. There is real potential there. I’m saying no more, you clever people can work out how to make use of that!

Credit - http://www.zazzle.com

Words Are Still Important!

This blog post will contain over 450 words once complete. It will also include an image. There is a fair chance that that image will offer you very little in the way of information. The real value (assuming you have gained any from it of course) is in the good old fashioned collection of letters, words and punctuation. Blogs and well-written web copy should still play an integral part of your digital communications mix.

What Next?

Be sure to consider how imagery and video will feature in your activities now and in the future. When you are planning your social media content, take the time to work out what activity will allow you to create and make use of great (emphasis on great!) imagery. If you aren’t already considering how photo-based networks like Pinterest could play a part in your strategy, then give it some time ASAP! Imagery works well across all key media consumption platforms and especially mobile. If that doesn’t sell it enough then nothing will.

How are you using imagery across social media? Have you seen great results?

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Warning – Social Media Overload Imminent!

Stop! Put down the mouse and step away from the Pinterest. Have you thought about what you are about to do? Is this the way you really wanna go out?

So Many Platforms, So Little Time

Are you currently using the social media channel as part of your marketing mix? What platforms are currently taking up your time? The basis of many social programs tend to revolve around the well established Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and perhaps a blog, but as more and more platforms come to the fore, many businesses are feeling the pressure of social media overload.

Can You Afford to Stretch to New Platforms?

Once you are established in the social media space, it is likely that your audience/customers/prospects are used to the way you do things. They know that when then reach out with an issue that you will be there to respond. They know that they can rely on you for some regular content of ass-kicking proportions. So why rock the boat by adding a new platform in to the mix? Well, it may well be the case that your audience and your business will benefit greatly from using Instagram, Pinterest or Google Plus (the great SEO hope?), but do you have the resources, content and understanding of those platforms required to make a success of them?

The Pressure of Hype

I’ve been quizzing some of my always helpful followers on Twitter, asking them if they feel under pressure to be using every new platform that the social media buzz machine hypes up – I received a number of messages from people at various sizes of business all confirming that they do worry about ‘missing the boat’. I can understand why so many feel this way, the thought of a competitor being the first to start using a platform is enough for some marketers to dive in head first without a plan of attack. A dangerous move.

Five Things To Consider Before Making A Move

  1. Is your audience – a) present on the platform in question b) likely to respond to your activity on that platform?
  2. Do you understand that platform and how to use it to the benefit of your audience/customers and your business?
  3. Can you devote the required level of resource to these new platforms without negatively effecting your already established and successful platforms?
  4. Do you have enough content to ensure a tailored and appropriate approach to each platform?
  5. Can you measure and report on the success of your activity within these new platforms?

Ready to Enter?

Take your time and assess the opportunities. If you think the platform in question will be of benefit to all, make a plan of attack and stick to it. The worst thing you can do is enter a new arena and lose all momentum after a fast start. And never feel pressure to be on a platform just because every blog is touting it as the ‘must have’ for businesses. Oh, and if you have an engaged audience on another platform, why not ask them if they would want you to be communicating with them on the platform in question?

Do you feel the pressure from social media hype? Have you dabbled in new platforms and been burned? What are you currently considering for your business? Do share!

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Rapid Response – Is Pinterest Over – Hyped?

I’m currently sat on a bus, I tweeted out asking people for a topic they would like me to try and cover before my journey ends in 45 mins… Fraser Bedwell (@fraserbedwell) asked – ‘@mike_mcgrail a topical one given your most recent tweets – is Pinterest over-hyped?!’ I now have 41 minutes…

Pinterest. If you haven’t heard of it by now, you must have smashed up all of your web enabled devices in a futile attempt to live an unconnected life. The fact that is that you can’t look at a blog or Twitter without seeing it mentioned at least 72,493 times. Per minute. Hype much? Please note, that fact is completely made up. But the hype levels are bigger than a banker’s bonus (before it was taken away)

Let’s Look at The Facts

  • Over 10 million users in the USA – achieved in the fastest time of any independent site in history
  • 12 million unique monthly visitors
  • The hype has meant that since the start of 2012, daily users on site have increased by 145%
  • It is generating more referral traffic to sites than Google +, YouTube and LinkedIn combined

That last fact is one that appeals to me most as a digital marketer – the ability to very easily post relevant images to a site that has an engaged and growing user base and drive traffic back to the home site so effectively is a pretty attractive proposition.

Is it Right For All Businesses?

In a word, no. First things first, you need to have great and relevant imagery to share, as without it, you will never get interested eyes on your pics and in-turn zero ‘re-pinning’, comments or indeed clicks back to your site. It’s very consumer and lifestyle orientated – if you aren’t playing in those areas, I believe its best to avoid right now. The figure has ranged wildly from 60% to 97%, but ladies make up a massive proportion of the user base (recent reports have said that in the UK, there are more men using it than women, I may put that down to hype within the marketing/tech industry and guys signing up to see if its useful or not) and putting all sexism aside, if your product isn’t on the female radar you may struggle to gain serious traction. As with all social media platforms, you need to take the time to assess its potential value, and if you are going to use it, make sure you have the time to do it properly. Of course, you can benefit from Pinterest without having an actual presence for your business – install Pin buttons alongside your social sharing options and you may well see your customer base doing some work for you.

Are There Any Issues Surronding It?

Yes – there has been a lot of discussion this week about copyright issues, afterall, the site allows people to easily take any image and post it on the platform. Pinterest have now released a code that site owners can install that will stop this from being possible. Scottish photo journal app, Blipfoto yesterday took this measure and now any images held within it cannot be added to Pinterest by a third party. This approach could cause issues.

Believe the Hype?

It’s growth has been rapid, businesses are seeing great traffic (and sales) stemming from it and the train doesn’t look like slowing down, so yes, don’t ignore the hype without assessing the opportunity for your business first.

Facts from – http://www.mastercom.me/2012/02/pinterest-facts-and-figures-infographic/

Phew, made it just in time! Written in Evernote on my iPad, excuse any auto correct fails! Keep and eye-out for future Rapid Response posts! 

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Friday Freak Out – Bloggers Who Freakin’ Ignore Comments

You’ve read a blog post – some of its points really got you thinking. Perhaps you disagree with what the author has stated. Maybe, you feel you can add something to the post with a little insight. Possibly you just want to thank the author for supplying you with a truly valuable read. You press send on the comment field and feel happy in the fact that you have contributed to the blog post in question.

A little time goes by, you check back on the blog to see if the author has come back to you. Nothing. Later that night you do the same again. Still nothing. Naturally you may feel a little aggrieved. Why?

BECAUSE IT’S BLOODY RUDE WHEN THE BLOGGER DOESN’T BOTHER HIS/HER ARSE TO RESPOND TO COMMENTS!!!

As a blogger, you want and need people to read your content. When people are compelled to comment, you should make every possible effort to respond. Yes, if you are lucky enough to receive dozens of comments per post then it must be very difficult to cover them all, however to not respond to any is just not cool at all. You should think of it as a privilege that someone has taken the time to not only read your post, but also leave you a comment. Some of the so called ‘social media rockstars’ out there that preach about the importance of engagement etc are the worst culprits when it comes to practising this on their own turf. Respect your readers people!

Am I being over-sensitive? Is it important to you that the blogger responds to your comment? Do tell in the comments below. I will respond.

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5 Great Ways To Drive Traffic To Your Blog

When we publish a new post on The Social Penguin Blog, we have a set routine that we follow in order to let the world know that there is a fantastic piece of social media content awaiting their hungry brains. This post looks at 5 online assets you can use to spread the word.

1 – Stumbleupon

Not only is Stumbleupon a great way of digesting some great content tailored to your tastes, it’s also a great way of sharing your own work. The key to success on Stumbleupon is a clear and impactful description of the article you are posting. Tell people what they can expect to read if they click the link and keep it short. Also be sure to tag the submission appropriately.

2 – inbound.org

This is a new kid on the block, launched just this week by the SEO legend, Rand Fishkin, it’s described as a ‘hacker news for the SEO and digital marketing community’. All you have to do is submit your link and categorise it appropriately. Tread carefully here, this is already a community, don’t just post links to your own content, be sure to share relevant content from other sources or you may well be shunned. We’ve already seen significant traffic hitting our posts that have been submitted to inbound.

3 – Google +

This was a real slow burner for us, at first we noticed tiny bits of traffic landing on any posts we shared on the latest ‘major’ platform on the scene. It now regularly features in our top 5 referrers. We’ve all built great Circles of people we know are hungry for social media and digital marketing content, each time we publish a new post, we add it to Google +. The best success comes from using the content to spark a conversation, don’t just post the link and run, add some commentary and ask a question. The spread from people ‘sharing’ your posts can be huge. From looking at Google Analytics, we can see that people that land on our blog from G+ spend and average of 4 minutes on the site – a good sign of really qualified traffic. Our writers use their own profiles to share their content and operate their own Circles, this is a really nice and personal approach. We do have an overall page for the blog, but have yet to really develop it.

4 – LinkedIn

First things first, be very careful when putting your content on LinkedIn – we put our posts in groups that we are active members of, using the content again to spark conversation or debate. Never be seen to be spamming! This approach drives great traffic from people who may not only be your peers but also people who are new to the subject area of your blog – raising awareness of your content and potentially creating fans. Share anything you write to your personal status update too, this will show your connections just how smart you are!

5 – Twitter

It really goes without saying that Twitter is essential. Behind Google search, Twitter is always the second top referrer to our blog. Headlines are essential for gaining traction on Twitter, keep them as short as possible and use phrases that will catch the eye. Keep the Tweets under 120 characters in order to allow for easy re-tweeting. Don’t be afraid to tweet multiple times about a new piece of content, when we put something live, we immediately tweet it, then spread 3 more tweets over the course of the day – this ensures we are hitting our readers across key time zones. Read our Twitter articles for more hints and tips.

Spreading your content across the web is an unavoidable repetitive process, but one that’s key to your success. Get in the habit and be disciplined and you will see results. It can take time so be patient! Of course if your content sucks then it will be a struggle…

What tools or platforms do you regularly use? Which ones deliver the best and most qualified traffic? Do tell!

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I Love The Smell of Twitter Spam in the Morning

Ok, I don’t really love it but I couldn’t resist the play on words…

I arose on Saturday morning and had the customary peak at Twitter, caught up on some golden nuggets of info and had a look to see if anyone had been crazy enough to follow me overnight. 23 people had taken this step! I excitedly worked my way through the list, keen to see who I could follow back. You see, even after three years on Twitter, I still get a little buzz when someone decides that they want to follow me. A little sad perhaps, but quite frankly my dears, I don’t give a damn. With that in mind, you can imagine my disappointment when the breakdown of those 23 new followers was:

17 large breasted women offering me all sorts of sexual favours (virtual of course)

You can't beat someone that loves their job!

3 naughty floozies telling me how I can find a real sexual encounter near me

Next stop, the VD clinic?!?


And 3 people offering the services of a really cheap job board website. Note the use of a leggy lady here too…

Girls and jobs!

These large scale mass follow ‘campaigns’ seem to come and go in waves. Are they a legitimate use of Twitter? After all, people do want porn, sex and jobs – so should people peddling such services be given the opportunity to attract customers via Twitter? Of course, these accounts are usually bots, purely with the aim of getting people to click links, so any actual interaction on Twitter is highly unlikely. For me, this type of activity only cheapens the Twitter experience. I’ve said it before, but does the fact that spam is prevalent on Twitter mean that brand and businesses may be put off from plowing advertising budget in to the network?

What can be done?

As a user, you should ‘report as spam’ every time you get followed by a dodgy character. Does this work? Well I’m not sure, I guess it really depends on the systems in place at the Twitter end. I recently asked on Twitter if people actually take this step, and the response was very positive, so at least it seems that the community is self-policing to a certain extend. The rest is really up to Twitter. Their product is a rapidly expanding monster, one that must take some serious resource to run, so perhaps spam is floating around the bottom of their priority list?

Does Twitter spam rile you? Do you ‘report as spam’? Would this type of spam make you think twice about spending money on the Twitter ad model?

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10 Things A Brand Should Never Do On Twitter

Using Twitter well can be a real can of worms, on the surface it is a fairly simplistic platform (hopefully they keep it that way), but once you dig a little deeper, there are many do’s and don’ts that should be considered when trying to use Twitter in the best possible fashion. This post will explore ten things that you should never do…

1 – Send Auto DMs

I’ve never heard one single person say they like receiving an auto-DM when they follow a brand (or individual back). Just don’t do it. Take the time to send a personal response whenever possible and consider doing it via an @ reply. Do not make an auto-DM your first actual attempt at Twitter communication with a customer or prospect.

2 – Follow Way More Than Follow Back

When I see a brand that follows 10,000 but only has 1,500 following back, I immediately cast them aside as a brand I don’t want to have on my Twitter radar. Follow appropriate people back and be selective about who you follow and everyone is much more likely to be happy.

3 – Throw Mud

Never, ever accuse a customer of being in the wrong. Take their issue and try your hardest to resolve it. If possible take the discussion away from Twitter. This also goes for your competitors, I’ve seen nasty incidences of brands using Twitter to have a go at their rivals – this makes you look like a jerk.

4 – Take Ages to Respond

Twitter is real-time platform, you need to be super speedy at responding to customer queries. It can be tough, but if you can’t support it, you need to re-think your Twitter use. If you can only operate during certain hours, state this in your bio.

5 – Only Tweet Sales Messages

Hopefully you already realise that a flood of sales or promotional messages are not the way to go! Sure, let your audience know of any interesting promotions etc, but never make this the crux of your content. Curate, create, converse and conquer!

6 – Fail to Deliver on What Your Bio Promises

If you state that you will be taking enquires etc, then you better be in a position to answer them! If you state that you will be tweeting the latest news from your industry, you best make sure you are doing that everyday! Don’t set false expectations.

7 – Link Your Facebook to Your Twitter

Facebook and Twitter are both massively different platforms and Facebook updates do not translate well to Twitter. No-one can convince me that this is good route to follow. Please don’t do it.

8 – Be Overly Friendly or Unprofessional

Tone of voice is very important in social media and especially on Twitter. Think how you would like to be spoken to by a business you are dealing with and bear that in mind at all times. Being friendly can often disarm an angry customer, however pushing it too far and being overly friendly can make the customer feel a little patronised.

9 – Use Text Speak

‘Gr8, glad we could help u’ No, no, no!!! Childish and irritating. Enough said.

10 – Give The Minimum Service

Always strive to help the user as much as possible. Give them links to helpful information, offer them an email address (start with a DM) or even a phone-call. Twitter may be a short form communication platform, but that isn’t an excuse to be lazy!

BONUS! – Run a Hashtag Campaign If You Suck

If your brand gets a lot of heat in the social media space, a hashtag campaign isn’t the way to go. Chances are, it will get hijacked, giving you a major headache! #McFail anyone?

What are your Twitter turn-offs? Do tell us in the comments!

Thanks to our great Assistant Editor, Jenni Maley for her input to this post!

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Friday Freak Out – Tweets That Are Too Long To Freaking Re-tweet

Picture the scene – you read a tweet from your favourite blogger, the content of said tweet compels you to click the link to their latest post. You read the post, oh my freakin’ god, it is the best damn post you’ve ever read, you can’t wait to tell the world about it! You race back to Twitter, ready to re-tweet that bad- ass post to your mountains of information hungry followers…

And then…

You click your re-tweet button. BOOM! Your character counter turns red. -12 characters to play with. Now of all of a sudden you aren’t so sure you want to share that tweet any more. Why should you bother editing the original? It can be a real pain in the posterior right? Time is tight enough as it is!

So what’s the solution?

Simple. Make sure you squeeze all of your awesome tweetage in to 120 characters. This makes it really easy for people to re-tweet (remember the originator of the tweet’s name will be added when you RT) and can even leave a little room for a comment. Don’t treat 120 as a target, the shorter the better. Of course this doesn’t necessarily apply to all tweets, if you aren’t looking for something to be shared, then go freakin’ nuts with your 140.

Please note, if you are using the twitter.com re-tweet function, this may not apply as that function does not add the originators name. Personally I am not a fan of that method as it does not allow for the adding of any comments etc to the tweet.

It’s the little things in life folks, the little things…

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Friday Freak Out – Unsolicited @ Messages on Twitter by Brands

@mike_mcgrail Have you tried Stealth yet? A new search engine that lets you search the web anonymously… UseStealth.com/

This tweet from a search engine for porn addicts and weirdos got my shackles up a little this week. Why? Well, I find a business sending me an @ on Twitter, completely out of the blue, a little intrusive. Especially when it comes from a business that could create all kinds of negative connotations about me due to the fact that at a glance, it may look like I have asking Twitter for recommendations for such services. As a marketer, it makes me really question the brain-power of the people behind this, and other strategies like it. With my consumer hat back on, it makes me so so unlikely to ever become a customer of a business that uses this approach. (Freak Out continues after image)

Are Unsolicited Tweets Ever Ok?

Well actually, yes. But only in one scenario…

You are searching for people talking about your product or service and you notice a question that relates to your offering. At that point you can say hello and ask if there is anything you can help with. In a nice, soft way. Don’t pester and once is enough. This is allowed, as you are offering information that’s directly related to the user’s query. Pretty simple right? Demand and supply. This approach can create a really great first impression on a consumer, make sure that the great impression continues by supplying relevant help and information and in a timely fashion. Oh and by the way, don’t even get me started on DMs.

So, there you go, don’t be a jerk and @ someone without a qualified reason to do. If you do, I hope you get a nasty paper cut. On every finger. And then forget that they are there and touch something salty.

Am I being too sensitive? Do you think unsolicited @’s are ok? Do tell…

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