Ken Mueller Sparks Google+ v. Facebook Debate

Ken Mueller wrote a very open letter to Mark Zuckerberg requesting that Facebook stop tweaking their newsfeed algorithm and let users shape their own experience.  I personally think Mueller makes some great arguments as to why this is a win-win situation for everyone - users, businesses, Facebook, etc - and I encourage you to read the letter in it's entirety.

What sparked the latest flare up in the Google+ v. Facebook debate was a post by Mueller in the comments section of his blog.  Mueller said, "I still think you can do a lot more on FB due to the sheer number of people. My clients' customers aren't on G+, at least not as regular users. And they don't want to be. Most people, I think, still want to be on FB."

People went on to comment that their client base was engaging just fine on Google+, an article was written supporting Google+ over Facebook as the social media marketing platform of the future (Google Plus vs Facebook: Why G+ Should Dominate Your 2014 Marketing Strategy), and debate among social media specialists sparked anew.  

What I can't understand is why anyone would suggest that Google+ dominate your 2014 social media marketing strategy.  We call it a "marketing mix" for a reason!  

Mueller never goes so far as to say that Google+ isn't a strong platform, he merely says he isn't going to abandon Facebook because his clients' target audience is more engaged on Facebook than Google+. 

I can related to that!  My experience with Google+ has been very challenging to say the least.  Although I have many friends who are registered with the G+ platform, most of them continue to use only Facebook to connect with each other.  

Even still, as a marketing professional with some knowledge of search engine optimization, I think it's pretty intuitive that Google will favor Google+ engagement in it's search engine results pages.  In fact, there is already proof that this happens, some of which is mentioned in the Google Plus v. Facebook article.  I encourage my clients to incorporate Google+ into a robust integrated marketing social media strategy that includes other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.  With a holistic marketing strategy in place, we see the greatest return on our 

6 Tips for Successful Email Marketing

Email Marketing can be a quick way to reach out to a large group of people when it's done appropriately.  As with all digital marketing, email marketing requires a clear set of goals, strategy for achieving the goals and a plan for measuring success.  If something isn't working, make changes and measure again.  

If you're struggling to find success with your email marketing campaign, here are six best practices for email marketing:

1. Take the time to format a nice template for your recurring email marketing efforts.  Not only will it help your readers identify what you're communicating - monthly newsletter, industry alert, etc. - it will also reinforce your brand's professionalism. 
2. Graphics and formatting will only go so far, content generation is the key to successful email marketing campaigns.   Your audience wants to receive information that's interesting, useful and relevant to them.  If you email campaign isn't successful, it's probably not because of your formatting, graphics or the time of day you sent your message.  In the words of Seth Godin, "Don't waste time looking for a better pencil--learn to write better."
3. If you have to choose between having "Dear [name]" on your emails or not having personalized emails at all, go without the personalization.  There is nothing that turns readers off faster than seeing your sloppiness and laziness in the very first line.  If you're not willing to take the time to go through your list and check the contact information for every individual it's unlikely your readers are going to spend the time to read your email.
4. Avoid fancy HTML images and use text in your emails wherever possible.  Yes, the HTML looks very polished, but your readers have to download the images in order to see what you're trying to communicate.  Create content that is easy to digest and doesn't require work on the part of your readers.  Additionally, if you're going to archive your work online, text is SEO friendly whereas graphics need to be properly tagged to appeal to search engines.
5. Before you ask me to do something for you, ask yourself if it's fun, if it's worth my time and if I'm going to being compensated appropriately.  It's unlikely you'll get a high rate of participation if the answer to two out of those three questions is "no". 
6. Set expectations about how often your readers are going to hear from you and what you're going to say, but most importantly, live up to those expectations.  If you're publishing a monthly newsletter, send it on the same day of each month, e.g. (the first Wednesday, Second Tuesday, etc.).  If you're sending out a security alert email, have a criteria for how serious something needs to be before you send message out.  

Find The Right Voice For Your Brand

As a millennial, I have been crafting my image on social media for longer than I've been of legal US drinking age.  Finding the right voice for a brand comes relatively easily for me, and there are a couple of things you think about to help you find the right voice for your brand.

1. Define your target audience - Are you talking to men, women, children, or a combination of all three?  Do you want your brand to appeal to males, females or both?  Do you want to target people in a specific geographic location?
2. Set your tone - Are you having a serious conversation or is your brand lighthearted?  Even if you're dealing with sensitive or professional issues, it's good to try to lighten the mood in a tasteful and appropriate way when you can.
3. Provide value - fans of your brand do not want to hear you talk about how great you are on your social media platforms just like you don't want to hear your friends brag about how great they are.  If you think you might be getting annoying, take a step back and evaluate your brand.  Are you posting interesting, relevant industry information?  Useful tips?  Short cuts?  How To videos?  Make your social media platforms a place that your target audience wants to go.
4. Treat your fans like friends - No, you should not (in most cases) offer to take your social media followers out to happy hour.  But you should talk to them in the same way that you'd talk to your friends, in an authentic and genuine way.  
5. Be consistent - all of your posts should sound like they are coming from the same person... the persona of your brand!  You want your fans to know what to expect when they come to your social media platforms so be sure that your team knows the brand's voice so everyone is working toward the same cause.  

If you follow these five steps you'll be well on your way to creating a voice that reflects the personality and values of your brand that will help drive engagement with your fans.

Promoting the Brand Called "You"

I'll admit it, I struggle to promote my personal brand, which is pretty ironic when I think about how well versed I am in digital and social media marketing.

I'm told this is a struggle many millennials experience because we grew up hearing how special we were and received far too many "participation trophies."  We use digital media - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. - on a daily if not hourly basis for all kinds of mundane announcements and yet we keep the really important stuff offline... and I'm guilty of this just as much as the next person. 

I started this blog as a way to comment on the digital media trends I experience in my professional life and I have yet to share this blog on my Facebook or Twitter for fear of making myself look stupid in front of my peers.  Yes, I know that if I don't invest in me and share my posts, nobody else will either.  I'm caught in a lack of confidence catch-twenty-two.

Luckily, I was catching up on Six Pixels of Separation podcasts and came across Mitch Joel's conversation with Dan Schawbel, the Managing Partner of Millennial Branding - a Gen Y research and consulting firm. He has authored two bestselling business books, Me 2.0 and the recently published, Promote Yourself - The New Rules For Career Success. Dan is also a contributor for Time and Forbes magazine, as well as being a sought-after media pundit on the topic of personal branding and Gen Y.

Dan is an authority on the practice of self-promotion and everything he mentioned in the podcast resonated with me so much so that I purchased both of his books on my nook as soon as I reached my computer.  Stay tuned for the reviews!

8 Tips To Maximize Your Facebook ROI

Some businesses are social media marketing mavens while others are scrambling to catch up.  Facebook recently put together a list of eight best practices they find most successful local businesses are doing on Facebook.  Although the tips were probably written for B2C social media, almost all of these tips can be used for larger companies and 2-7 even apply to B2B marketing strategies, so take a look at these tips and good luck in your Facebook marketing!

Eight Things Successful Businesses Do on Facebook