How Your Customers Are Spending Their Time Online

May 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Today’s infographic will give you a peek into how your customers are spending their time online.

Some interesting highlights:

  • There are over 2 billion people online – that’s about 30% of the world’s population
  • Those users spend a total of almost 4 million years online each month
  • The average users spends 16 hours per month online
  • The avers US user spends 32 hours per month online
  • 79% of the US population is online
  • 22% of online time is spent on social networks
  • Facebook is the second most visited site and the average person spends 8 hours a month there
  • YouTube averages about 4 billion views a day
  • Twitter averages 250 million tweets a day
  • Facebook averages 800 million updates a day

 

What number in the infographic was most surprising to you? And if these numbers reflect your customer base, what are you doing online to connect with them?

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: , , ,

Everything I Needed to Know About Social Media I Learned From My Mom

May 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

With Mother’s Day coming up we thought we would give a little shout out to those ladies who steered dragged us down the right path of life. So many life lessons our moms taught us growing up apply to the digital space. In fact pretty much everything I needed to know about social media I learned from my mom.

This mama would like to translate some of those mom lessons to the digital world:

1. Don’t have a potty mouth.

When you use profanity, it usually makes you look less intellegent. Sure there may be times when a expletive slips through or you use it to emphasize a point. But don’t allow your Twitter stream to become a profanity laced rant. It’s tacky and unprofessional. I don’t care how young or how old you are. Sure you want to be authentic, to be yourself, but keep it in check. You only get one chance to make a first impression.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: , , ,

5 Ways to Connect with Volunteers on Social Media

May 7, 2012 By 2 Comments

Social media is a powerful tool that allows non-profit organizations to stay connected with their volunteer base. If you are finding it difficult to connect with your volunteers on social media, here are 5 simple ideas you can implement today.

1- Facebook

Create a volunteer group for your organization so it is easy for volunteers to connect, communicate and coordinate.

2- Twitter

Highlight 3-4 volunteers each week for #FF (FollowFriday). Share a little about how they help your organization.

3- Instagram

Share photos of your volunteers in action. Highlight a volunteer of the week or month. Share these photos on your other social networks as well.

4- YouTube

Ask your volunteers to share their stories about how they connected with your organization and the impact they are seeing. Feature these videos on your blog.

5- Foursquare

Create a unique Foursquare volunteer check-in with a special perk and recognition for the mayor.

Bonus Tip

Remember to thank each and every volunteer in real life and let them know how much you appreciate the time and effort they are giving to your organization.

What other ways are you connecting with volunteers on social media?

Filed Under: Facebook, Foursquare, Instagram, Social Media, Twitter, Volunteers, YouTube Tagged With: , , , , , ,

A Marketer’s Guide To Social Media (Infographic)

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Each year CMO.com releases a marketer’s guide to social media. This year they reviewed 14 platforms in the areas of customer communication, brand exposure, traffic to your site, and SEO. While some of their findings as just what you would assume, some were surprising, and some were even questionable.

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Five new members were added to this years rankings — Pinterest, Google+, SlideShare, Quora, and Instagram. Some of the new kids on the block are doing pretty well.
  • Google+ Ranked highest in Customer Communication, Brand Exposure, and SEO
  • Twitter ranked highest in Traffic To Your Site
  • Instagram ranked last in 3 categories – Customer Communication, Traffic To Your Site, and SEO

You can also visit the CMO.com website for a sortable infographic by category.

Do you agree or disagree with their evaluations? What platforms are driving the most traffic to your site? And where are you communicating most with customers?

 

Filed Under: Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Social Media, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Uncategorized, YouTube Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Social Media for Small Business – Interview with Rob Pieper from Poppy’s Pizza

May 2, 2012 By 3 Comments

Last week I had the privilege of interviewing my friend Rob Pieper about how he is using social media for small business. Rob is the owner of Poppy’s Pizza and Grill in the beautiful Colorado mountain town of Estes Park. I feel like I can’t post this without also giving a shout out to his wife Julie, who runs Mama Rose’s right next door. In addition to running two of the best restaurants in Estes Park, both Rob and Julie are highly involved in giving back to the community. They use social media to not only connect with their customers, but to share the story of Estes Park, encouraging  their followers and friends to make the pilgrimage back up the mountain to one of the loveliest places on earth. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Interview, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Non-profit Executives on Social Media

April 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

One question that comes up consistently at rm2g from our non-profit executive friends is, “If my non-profit has a social media space, do I still have to personally engage on these platforms as well?”

The answer is simple.

Yes, yes, yes and yes.

My question back to them is always this—Why wouldn’t you?

As a nonprofit leader, would you ever walk out of, or even refuse to enter a room full of people talking about your organization or the issues you care about? Would you just ignore them?

I don’t think so. Not ever.

But unfortunately, that is what you are doing everyday you avoid the social space. And trust me, your constituents are noticing.

If you are not personally engaging on these platforms you are frustrating your organization’s advocates, who want to hear from you. You may even be causing them to wonder what are you trying to hide.

And trust me, they aren’t thinking the things on the list you have in your head. The I can’t be on social media, they might think… That list. You know the one.

They aren’t thinking:

  • How much time is he/she spending here?
  • Is this what my donation is going to support?
  • Why don’t they just get a volunteer to do this?

On the contrary, when you are personally engaged online and you take the time to answer questions about the non-profit you manage, from your own profile, your supporters are wowed.

They are more likely thinking:

  • Wow, that was quick. And a personal response!
  • This person truly cares about the mission of the organization and about me.
  • How great that I can get in touch with them and connect on a personal level.

I’m not saying that hiring someone or allowing a volunteer to manage your organization’s accounts is always bad. But I am saying that doing so doesn’t give you a permission to check out of the space. And having someone else manage your personal accounts just doesn’t work. It is you they want to hear from as a leader, and you come across as phony when someone else is writing your posts. And if you think they won’t find out, think again.

Your constituents expect you to be there, in your own voice, joining in the conversation, sharing your leadership lessons and telling the story of your organization. Don’t disappointment them.

We can help you with executive training and get you socially engaged on the  platforms that are right for you personally.

If you need assistance, please contact us. This is one of the most favorite things we do at Rocky Mountain Media Group.

Are you connected with any non-profit executives on social media who are doing this well? Who?

Filed Under: Social Media, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , ,

Every 60 Seconds on the Social Web (Infographic)

April 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Every 60 seconds on the social web a whirlwind of information is shared by individuals and organizations attempting to get the attention of their digital audience. Today’s infographic give you a snapshot of the the social web and what happens every minute.

Some statistics that caught my attention:

  • On Twitter there are 98,000+ tweets sent and 320 new accounts created every
  • LinkedIn gains 100+ new accounts
  • Facebook users post 695,000+ status updates, 79,364 wall posts, and 510.040 comments
  • There are over 60 new blogs created, and 1,500 blog posts
  • Some of these are posted to the over 50 WordPress downloads each minute
  • Tumblr has 20,000 new posts
  • 600+ videos are uploaded to YouTube
  • 6,600+ new photos are posted to Flickr

The social web is growing daily. More and more people are creating content specifically for the social web, and likewise, more people are turning to the social web as their primary source of information. As this space continues to grow, using it effectively becomes about crafting your story and creating content that shares that story in a compelling way.

Is your story reaching your audience and are they compelled to engage with it? Share a compelling story you discovered on the social web today in the comments.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: , , ,

8 Nonprofit Social Media Tips

April 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

Here are eight simple tips to help get your nonprofit social media presence off the ground.

1. It Starts At The Top

The CEO, President or Executive Director alone will determine the success of your social media efforts. If the leader buys in and is involved, both personally and professionally for the organization,  there is a better chance of using social media effectively. When the voice of your organization “gets it”, the importance of social media is demonstrated by example. If it isn’t a high enough priority for the head of the organization to be involved, it won’t be a high priority for anyone else either. This means that it won’t get the time and effort it takes to be successful.

2. Have A Plan

Determine what you want to accomplish in the social space and develop a plan that will move you towards those goals. I talked about the importance of planning in this post.

3. Find An Expert

Look around your organization and see if there is someone who is familiar with the social media space. I’m not talking about someone who just has a Facebook account. This person should have a working knowledge of several platforms and should spend a significant amount of time using these tools for personal platform building. If you can’t find someone, you may want to look externally for someone to train the team.

4. Pick Your Platforms

All social media platforms weren’t created equal. Start by finding out where your audience is spending their time and energy. Next, look for platforms that support the type of content you plan to create and share. Find 1-3 platforms that allow you to create for and connect with your audience. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: , , , ,

What Brands Post vs What Fans Like – Facebook Infographic

April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When it comes to Facebook Pages brands tend to prefer sharing links versus other types of content. The problem is fans typically don’t engage with links, and engagement is the key to success on Facebook. What do fans want?  Check out this Facebook Infographic that our friend and reader Wendy Lewis sent to us.

 

Using photos and videos are by far the best way to get fans to engage on your page. What creative ways are you utilizing photos and videos on your Facebook Page.

Filed Under: Facebook, Social Media Tagged With: , , , ,

Social Media is a Magnifying Glass

April 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Flicker image via user kapungo

Social media is a magnifying glass. It takes what your audience is looking at and makes it bigger, clearer, and easier to see. So what is your audience seeing? If customer service is part of your brand’s DNA, it will be magnified in the social space. Your digital audience will feel cared for, listened to, and taken care of. If it isn’t, well, that will be magnified too. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Brand, Social Media Tagged With: , , ,
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