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Social Media and Email Applications: A Powerful Tool

By admin on May 10, 2011

We’re all studiously working on our laptops, our iPads, and our smartphones typing out our social media messages – getting results sometimes, but also missing our mark occasionally.  We strive to pair social media messages with the right audience, otherwise all we are doing is shouting at the very customer we wish to engage.

One relatively untapped way to make social media work for your business is to incorporate social media into your email application. More powerful than signatures, links and logos, social media within your email client adds a powerful element of connectedness.

Gist, is one platform that’s proving successful.  It makes it easy to see your social media connections between the people you know and strangers.  All this is possible through your email client.

Many of you are using Microsoft Outlook. Microsoft’s Social Connector for Outlook is a great tool to bring your social media networks right into Outlook

The Microsoft Office Blog posted the following stats:

  • 25 percent of respondents use social media to communicate and build relationships with colleagues. This number went as high as 37% for the 18-24 age group.
  • 19 percent of people surveyed agreed that social networking has helped them meet people online who have turned into valuable business relationships offline.
  • 89 percent said their use of social media for personal communication increased or stayed the same during the past year.

If you want to see the power of your social networks in your email box, give Gist or Social Connector a try.   These social media email connectors will bring new insights to your business in the next email in your inbox.

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Philanthopy and Adventure Blog

By admin on November 28, 2010

This January and February Dave Meader, a college professor by training, will be traveling around Peru on an adventure which includes teaching English to school children, visiting Cuzco, traveling to Machu Pichu, and swimming the Amazon.  If you like adventure and philanthrophy, be sure to bookmark his blog at www.davidmeader.com.

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Shopping Blog

By admin on November 27, 2010

A Gen X Girls Guide to Shopping

Another project I work on is the shopping blog A Gen X Girl’s Guide. The blog focuses on clothes, shoes, accessories, music, food & drink, gadgets, handmade crafts, technology, pets, and travel.

With the holidays upon us, there are some great gift guides available.  If you want to find some cool ideas and handpicked items which would make awesome gifts, hop on over to A Gen X Girl’s Guide.

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When Are Facebook Users Most Active?

By admin on October 29, 2010

Image representing Facebook as depicted in Cru...

Timing is everything.  Especially when it comes to social media.  Do you have an update you want to share with your network?  Then you better make sure you post it at the proper time for maximum impact.

Do you know when Facebook usage peaks during the week?  The social media management company Virtue knows.  They conducted a three year study with over 1,500 brand and pinpointed the most active days and hours on Facebook pages.  The study included an incredible 1.64 million posts and 7.56 million comments during the research study. Check out some of the generated data:

  • Usage spikes most on weekdays at 11:00 am, 3:00 pm, and 8:00 pm EST.
  • The biggest usage spike overall happens at 3:00 pm EST on Wednesday.
  • Sunday is the least active day for brand and company pages.
  • Even though afternoons produce the most comments, morning posts perform better than those posted in the afternoon.

So if you want to maximize engagement for your Facebook posts, consider posting on a Wednesday afternoon at 3 PM EST.  That’ll give you the most bang for your buck!

You can read Mashable’s full coverage of the study here.

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Ning, Creating Rich Social Experiences Online and on Your Mobile Device

By mpualuan on October 28, 2010

Image representing Ning as depicted in CrunchBase

If I had to describe Ning, the world’s largest platform for creating social websites, I’d use the words of Ning’s CEO Gina Bianchini and call Ning a platform that enables rich social experiences for users and their host organizations.

Facebook, Twittter, and LinkedIn all do one thing well.  Facebook connects your real identity to people you know through status updates and photos.  Twitter provides you with news and real time events.  And LinkedIn represents your professional identity.  These platforms are great at what they do, but they lack sophistication around where they send people, usually a blog or a website.  Ning creates a rich, immersive social experience. It brings together all the ways you want to interact with things you care about in a highly interactive hub.  Imagine combining the social interactivity of Facebook with the news updates of Twitter, the widgets and blogs of WordPress, and then throw in chat and video uploads and you might have a good idea of what Ning can do.  Everything.

Okay, maybe Ning can’t water your plants when you’re out on vacation but it can sure connect you to a person who can.  Ning gets 92 million unique views a month.  Every two weeks they gain another million viewers.  I’m excited about Ning for many reasons:

  • Ning websites include blogs for the website and for your network members
  • Branded iPhone and Android apps for Ning Networks
  • Ning websites include Forums
  • Customizable fan profiles
  • Visual design freedom
  • Real time activity feed across your network
  • Photos and videos
  • Chats
  • Discussion Forums
  • Events
  • 3rd party partners (Groupon, Twitter, CafePress, Mobile Roadie, Heyzap, Constant Contact, and more)

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Ning is not a free platform.  There are three membership levels ranging from $2.95 to $49.95 a month.  That’s a small price to pay for the versatility and interactivity that Ning provides.  It boasts hosting sites for many areas of interests including politics, sports, entertainment, music, non-profit, publishing, brands.  Bottom line:  Ning is well worth the price your pay for it.

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6 Twitter Tips for Nonprofits and Organizations Making a Difference in the World

By mpualuan on October 27, 2010

Use a Twitter desktop application – You need to organize your Twitter activities by using an app which you can use throughout the day.  The two most popular downloadable desktop apps are Tweetdeck  and Seesmic Desktop.  Hootsuite is another configurable web-based application.  All three apps allow you to customize your stream into groups and lists.

…
Follow the web in real time – If you’re attending or following an event, such as a nonprofit  conference, you can use Twitterfall to follow what is being said about the event IN REAL TIME.  You begin by creating a custom search to track mentions of your organization, cause, topics, etc. and save them to retrieve later.  You can also follow hashtags on specitic topics of interest like #nonprofits or #kiva.  ListiMonkey is a web-based app that send you an email alerts whenever tweets from specific Twitter lists match your specified query...

Find your cohorts – Twitter helps you connect to a community of like-minded people who can serve as advocates spreading your message.  Several apps can help you connect, including Twitter’s search, WeFollow, BlastFollow, MrTweet, and Listorious...


Measure your impact – You need to use metrics to measure how your campaigns are doing on Twitter, compared to others in your field.  The best tool to asses you impact is Klout.  A few others which you can use are Twitaholic, Twinfluence.  If you want to measure how often you are retweeted, try Retweetrank.  If you want to increase your following, Tweeteffect will show you which of your tweets gains followers.

Get your Mobile Apps – There are many cool iPhone apps which will help you post to Twitter and manager your  followers.  Tweetie is a big favorite.  Others are Twitterific, and Twitterlator Pro.  IF you use an Android phone, try Twidroid, Tweetcaster, and Meebo.

..

Strategize – Trendistic offers trends of names or keywors based on what Twitter users are tweeting about right now.  Twitturly will show you the most popular URL shared on Twitter over a 24 hour period.

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How to Use Social Media to Find Employment

By mpualuan on October 24, 2010

Are you out of work and trying to figure out how to navigate a job search in a dramatically altered job search environment? How can you leverage social media platforms and your connections to make the most out of easy-to-use tools to demonstrate your expertise and professionalism to potential employers or clients?

There are several simple things you can do with social media to help secure employment:

  • Set up a blog.  There are many platforms out there but WordPress.com integrates with your profile on LinkedIn. WordPress.org, Social Media Today, and Mashable all have instructions for how to set up a professional blog and how to use it to develop your online identity.
  • Write blog posts about what you know. Demonstrate to potential employers the value that you can add to their organization.
  • Use Twitter to promote what your write. Set up a professional Twitter account and tweet links to your blog posts.  This way you can spread the word about your knowledge and skills.
  • Share your blog posts on LinkedIn and Facebook. Make your online profile for both platforms professional, helpful, and provide useful information to your online contacts.
  • Do your online research. Resources like Monster HotJobs offer great advice on how to present yourself to potential employers.

If you already have a blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts for personal use, it might benefit your to keep those profiles private and developing a new public, professional identity you show to the world. Remember that every time you use social media to share information, you’re etablishing your personal brand. Consider how you want to present yourself to potential employers and clients before you post.

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One simple tactic your non-profit can use to increase its fan base

By mpualuan on October 5, 2010

Is your nonprofit doing amazing things for your community but not getting enough press? Consider using social media to strategically grow your fan base. [Remember, fans = prospects = donors = stewards]

Santa Clara University, my alma mater, recently employed a great tactic to increase its fan base. SCU posted a picture of our new President, Father Engh, on campus holding up a sign that read “Are You a Fan?”

Well, you can be quite sure I ‘Liked’ what I saw and ‘Shared’ it with my friends, some of whom were SCU graduates but not Facebook fans yet.

So if you’re trying to grow your fan base, consider using a similar tactic.  Keep in mind that community members could also serve as ambassadors for your organization.  For example, if your organization provides free reconstructive surgery to children in developing countries, you could use a child who received treatment in your campaign (provided that all legalities and permissions are adhered to).

As a last note, consider teaming up with a donor to promote your organization on Facebook, just as Second Harvest Food Bank did with their partner ScanDisk.  They posted the following on their wall, “Every new fan, like and comment on our Facebook page is worth a $5 donation from SanDisk this month! Thanks to everyone who is contributing to our goal of getting the whole $15,000!”

As you can see, their campaign was wildly successful.  I love becoming a fan of great organizations on Facebook.  I get to keep in touch with what they’re doing and get inspired by their successes as well.  And when I become a fan AND help them raise money and awareness for their cause, that’s getting two birds with one stone.

Consider employing this tactic in your non-profit social media plan to increase your fan base and broadcast your organization’s mission exponentially.

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50 Social Media Tactics for Non-Profits

By mpualuan on September 15, 2010

Check out this fabulous slideshow from Chad Norman, internet marketer at Blackbaud.  Tips every non-profit can use to develop their online networks.  Please ‘Share this’ if you enjoy it.

Here’s a list of the tips.  Be sure to check out the slides for examples of each.
  1. Create a custom Twitter background that reflects your organization’s mission and brand.
  2. List the Twitter handles of the staff contributing to your org’s feed.
  3. Create a Twitter List of your organization’s staff, partners, or supporters.
  4. Use Twitterholic.com to connect with the top 50 tweeters in your city.
  5. Monitor your city’s Twitter hashtag for relevant information (#chs #nyc #dc)
  6. Build real relationships by replying, retweeting, and joining discussions.
  7. Make your tweets retweetable.  Username + 6
  8. Recruit new staff and volunteers via Twitter.
  9. Monitor your organization’s name on search.twitter.com.
  10. Piggyback on Twitter’s trending topics if they are related to your cause (#aces)
  11. Promote an event, campaign, or movement with twitter hashtags (#breastcancer #memorywalk)
  12. Start, join, and organize conversations on Twitter with hashtags (#nwf #nptech #charitytuesday)
  13. Save your tweets forever with Twapperkeeper.
  14. Create a fundraising campaign organized with Twitter.
  15. Empower your followers with actionable information in support of your mission
  16. Organize a petition with act.ly.
  17. Get creative with Twitter avatars.
  18. Organize a Tweetup.
  19. Use Twitpic to share photos.
  20. Track and benchmark key Twitter stats.
  21. Use short URLs to track link performance (bit.ly, tinyurl.com)
  22. Use twitalyzer.com to mashup Google Analy tics with Twitter visitors.
  23. Reflect you r brand on your Facebook page.
  24. Create a landing page on FB for fans/non fans.
  25. Create a Cause and add it to your FB page.
  26. Open up your Facebook page by allowing fan to post on wall updates, photos, videos, and discussions.
  27. Add your blog’s feed to your fan page wall via the Notes application.
  28. Integrate other channels via Facebook fan page tabs.
  29. Add your events to your Facebook fan page.
  30. Ask your Facebook fans a question and participate in the conversation.
  31. Ask Facebook fans to upload videos that support your mission.
  32. Start a discussion that will engage your Facebook fans.
  33. Leverage contests by hosting or joining one.
  34. Integrate your CRM with Facebook fan activity.
  35. Use the Facebook Insights to get activity & demographic data.
  36. Use the YouTube Nonprofit Program to raise money or for advocacy.
  37. Make a funny or compelling video, not a sad one.
  38. Build stewardship with video.
  39. Hold a contest.
  40. Encourage supporters to upload video responses.
  41. Upgrade to a Flickr Pro account.
  42. Submit your photos to Flickr Groups.
  43. Hold a contest involving supporter photos.
  44. Create a Flickr group that supports your mission.
  45. Integrate supporter photos with existing channels/vehicles.
  46. Submit key blog posts & articles to social news sites.
  47. Use a “Share This” widget on blog posts, web pages, etc.
  48. Promote your social media channels via websites, emails, footers, etc.
  49. Display RSS feeds from a blog or Twitter account on your website.
  50. Create a social medial listening dashboard with iGoogle.

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Why I am passionate about social media

By mpualuan on September 8, 2010

As a social media manager, my passion is to create online communities for a unified cause.  That cause can be financial, informational, supportive, or social.  Because I’ve worked with organizations like Stanford University, the Junior League of San Jose, and Menlo College, I have a special affinity for using social media to develop and promote the causes of non-profit organizations and the businesses that support those causes.

If you’ve seen the movie “The Blind Side” you know that the phrase ‘blind side’ refers to the area around a quarterback which he can’t see that needs to be protected by someone else.  Michael Oher plays left tackle and protects the quarterback’s blind side.  But Michael Oher’s blind side is protected by Leigh Anne Tuohy and her family.  For me, ‘blind side’ is a metaphor for becoming aware of a need and taking the opportunity to make a difference.  Once you see the need, you can’t ignore it.

I have been an avid Facebook user for several years.  It enables me to keep in touch with over 450 family, friends, colleagues, and organizations.  Whenever I have a need that goes beyond my immediate family and friends, I reach out to my online community on Facebook for everything from recipes to job opportunities.  Usually in less than an hour I have many responses even from distant connections like a high school acquaintance I haven’t spoken to since graduation.  I never cease to be amazed and touched by how much compassion, expertise, and assistance gets exchanged through social media.  I’m not kidding when I tell you that I get out of bed in the morning thinking about how I can harness the power of social media to create networks of people paying it forward.

Social media has the power to illuminate ‘blind spots’ which provides us with the opportunity to be a part of the solution.  As a social media manager, I like to focus on ways to build and promote support networks for non-profits and small businesses.  I see them existing synergistically.  Small businesses need to promote their products and services but often don’t have the capital to invest in large scale advertising or mailings.  Non-profits can exchange Facebook posts and tweets for products, services, and other donations they need.  And when you pair community organizations with local businesses, you get online advertising for a cause.  Factor in all the individuals networked with businesses and non-profit organizations, and you can begin to get an idea of why I wake up in the morning eager to get to work.

I’ll give you an example.  I am a member of the Junior League of San Jose (JLSJ), a fabulous organization based in Santa Clara County which prepares children to enter kindergarten ready to learn and thrive.  Businesses who donate to JLSJ are interested in supporting our cause and connecting with our community.  JLSJ has almost one thousand members. I am one member and I have 475 friends on Facebook.  If all JLSJ members promoted our sponsors to our networks, just IMAGINE how many people we could reach.  And if people in our networks joined in, you could start a movement to support the cause of JLSJ and the businesses who support it.

For me, this is the beauty of social media.  It connects billions of people together.  It allows one person to start a movement to make a difference.  It allows small scale participation to add up to large scale results for businesses, individuals, and causes.  If you ask me, I will tell you I have the best job in the world.

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Michelle Pualuan

Michelle was born and raised in Silicon Valley. She attended UCSB and Santa Clara University. She worked in External Relations and Development for Stanford University and Menlo College before launching Bay Area Social Media Management. In addition to being experienced in Web 2.0 technologies, Michelle is a skilled writer and event manager.

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