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The Dos and Don’ts of Twitter Hashtags

by kdaltonhoffman | October 9, 2012 | Category: Social Media | No Comments »

Twitter HashtagsFirst things first, what are hashtags?  Simply put, they are keywords or phrases used in Tweets to do the following: describe the content of the tweet and generate attention, buzz, and/or a following in their own respective conversations/tweets. Hashtags are important because they allow your tweet to be seen by not only your followers, but by other accounts that search for your hashtag or topic via the platform.

In a social media marketing context, hashtags are essential to engaging and gaining followers. A great example of this is on BET’s @106andpark show.  The show boasts an impressive 4.5 million followers that respond eagerly to their live show hashtags.  This method gains such a positive response because it’s fun and allows followers to be creative.  Interested in more tips?  Below is a list of Dos and Don’ts when using Twitter hashtags in your marketing efforts:

DO…

- Use hashtags for big events or conferences.  What better way to have a large group of people connect? Make sure to advertise via different media outlets  (posters, emails, texts) so everyone’s aware.

- Make your hashtag the most obvious word or phrase.  The easier it is for your audience to find or interact with you, the more response you’ll get.

- Be careful when participating in news-related hashtags.  It’s a great way to gain exposure since there are many participants, however, if not done tastefully (i.e. play on words for serious events concerning death, etc.) it can be a PR nightmare.  Don’t follow in the footsteps of Kenneth Cole and Entenmann’s.

- Respond to tweets using your hashtag.  Retweet and reply – it will engage and encourage users to continue to promote your cause.

DON’T…

- #Hashtag #every #word #in #your #tweet.  In fact, it’s best to keep your hashtag limit to two or less.  Overuse can annoy your followers and in turn, limit the response you get.

- Use a hashtag that has another meaning.  This is especially important when using an acronym for an event.  Make sure to research your hashtag before deciding to use it.

- Use overly long hashtags.  Twitter’s unofficial motto could be “less is more”.  With only 140 characters to get your point across, you want to make it easy for your followers to engage and also leave room for their thoughts when tweeting and retweeting.

- Use words that are difficult to spell.  If it’s easy to misspell your hashtag, typing errors could mistakenly bury it.  Simplicity is key.

Hashtags are a great way to connect with your followers and take your social outreach even further.  Remember these simple rules when utilizing hashtags in your Twitter marketing strategy to use them to their full potential.

What’s your favorite hashtag?  Share with us below!

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A Social Media Associate’s View: My First Week at d50 Media

by kdaltonhoffman | September 27, 2012 | Category: Culture | No Comments »

My name is Kate and I just joined d50’s Social Media team as a Social Media Associate. In this role, I will work on a variety of projects for clients including social media account management, sending social media releases, and distributing content on clients’ social media profiles.  Starting a new position can be intimidating, but each person I’ve met has made me feel so welcome here.

d50 Media logoSo, what have I learned in my first few days?  A great deal. I have met with each channel and department head to discuss their roles and how each team works with social. My initial meeting was with the Accounts team. Accounts team members act as the “middle man” between the channels and the clients we serve, functioning as project managers to the campaigns we maintain. (more…)

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5 Tips for Better Social Business Reporting

by dmartelli | August 15, 2012 | Category: Analytics | No Comments »

Five years ago, social media reporting consisted of showing how make likes, comments, shares, retweets, etc. your client’s social content received, i.e. engagement. Well, social media reporting is slowly growing up and should be called social business reporting.

At the end of the day, clients are looking at agencies like d50 Media to implement integrated programs that impact business in some way shape or form. While sentiment, share of voice and all those other squishy measurements are still widely used in reporting, it doesn’t tell your client’s holistic story.

At d50, we measure lead, engagement, conversation and traffic impact. This approach gives our clients a 360 degree view into their social media presence across channels, how they are performing and what impact they have had on business objectives.

To get you up to speed, here are five steps to help your brand create robust social business reports that can help drive strategy. (more…)

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Three Ways to Reach Your Over Stimulated Audience

by eearley | June 21, 2012 | Category: Lead Generation, Strategy | No Comments »

Being on the receiving end of media these days reminds me of over-processed hair. The kind of hair that’s been dyed too many times and too many colors for too long. People are like that with advertising – they’re just fried. The pace with which everything moves is faster than breakneck. We take in so much more than we can absorb, until all we are is little explosions of ourselves here and there, revolutionizing everything too quickly, burning out in an exhausted space of days. We are living millions of lives worth of experience in a single generation and there is too much information to fathom.

Just how is a marketer supposed to reach its intended audience in this kind of environment? And by reach I mean really connect. I don’t mean merely get noticed. (more…)

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5 Ways to Spy on your Competitors with Social Media

by admin | June 14, 2012 | Category: Social Media | No Comments »

Staying ahead of your competition is not a new strategy in marketing. But now, thanks to social media, finding out what your competitors are up to is easier than ever before. Here are five ways to use social media to spy on your competitors:

1. “Secretly” follow competitors on Twitter.

If you don’t want to directly follow your competitors on Twitter, there’s an easy way to spy on their tweets without following them. First, make a private list. Next, add your competitors to that list so you can follow along with their posts without letting the whole world know about it. When reading tweets, make note of their messaging style – how often they are self-promoting, how often there is engagement with others and how many links are sent out. These elements of tweets will give you a strong sense of their Twitter marketing tactics, or lack thereof. (more…)

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Why Brands Should Not Bail on Corporate Blogs

by dmartelli | June 13, 2012 | Category: Social Media, Strategy | 2 Comments »

Marketing and Strategy Meet at the BlogThere have been a rash of posts lately about brands bailing on their corporate blogs in favor of creating content for social channels such as Facebook and Twitter. The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth did a study on corporate blogs and found that 37 percent of Fortune 500 companies maintain a blog, which is down from the 50 percent from last year. Additionally, 74 percent now have a Facebook presence, and 64 percent use Twitter, up from 61 percent and 52 percent, respectively.

Another piece on the subject notes that agencies are also ditching blogs because the content lacks the ability to enhance their brand or image.

I’m here to tell both brands and agencies that they are foolish to do so and simply put, they’re doing it wrong.

(more…)

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Social Media Juggernaut LinkedIn Allegedly Hacked

by Dennis Mercier | June 6, 2012 | Category: Social Media | No Comments »

A Russian hacker has claimed to have uploaded 6.5 million LinkedIn passwords to the internet and is looking for help in cracking the passwords. LinkedIn, which has upwards of 150 million users, has not officially confirmed the attack, but has released official messages via their Twitter acknowledging their current investigation of the security breach. (more…)

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6 Tips for Executing Social Media Campaigns in Regulated Industries

by admin | May 11, 2012 | Category: Social Media | No Comments »

Stop Sign Driving success for a brand in social media is tough and doing so in a regulated industry is a whole different ballgame.

With rules, regulations and laws to boot, some may steer clear of using social media in these types of environments. However, it can be done and it you be successful. (more…)

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The Continuing Reign of Mommy Bloggers [infographic]

by dmartelli | May 8, 2012 | Category: Lead Generation, Social Media | No Comments »

Mommy Bloggers are a force to be reckoned with. With the tip tap of their fingers on the keyboard, they can bring awareness to a variety of issues, throw down on a brand or just simple share a story that will touch the lives of many.

A recent infographic by H&R Block showcases the growth of the Mommy Blogger universe as well as highlights some of the most influential in the space. (more…)

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How Social Integration Affects The Sales Funnel

by admin | April 19, 2012 | Category: Social Media | 2 Comments »

Social Media Sales Funnel Social media is, believe it or not, still a fairly new marketing tactic. And businesses are continually trying to harness its power, while constantly trying to understand how to better measure the return on investment. Alone, social media may not be the right way to get potential customers to convert into actual customers. However, when coupled with other marketing tactics (both online and offline), social media can impact other channels, and in turn, the sales funnel.

Social media or social business?

Social media has transformed the way people connect with businesses online. Now businesses can speak to their customers directly, in an instant. And of course, it works the other way around. People can interact with their favorite brands and businesses, as well as complain about their least favorite, and organizations have the chance (and are encouraged) to respond. But talking to people on social networks is only part of social media marketing. Another big part of social media marketing can be referred to as social business: getting people to take an action because of conversations that happen on social networks. (more…)

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