This month we sat down with Neal Schaffer of Windmill Marketing to talk social media and how you can use your unique content with it. Read on to learn about the benefits of using social media, repurposing content for different social media sites, emerging trends and much more.
CC: Neal, thanks for speaking with us today. As a social media strategist, you advocate sharing content on social media channels. Can you give our readers an example?
Thanks Celeste. Sharing is as simple as retweeting content from someone that you feel is an authority or is content that you think your readers might be interested in. Twitter is a platform where this culture of sharing is deeply embedded to the point that the ReTweet is an essential part of the platform. After all, you can’t ReTweet your own tweet!
CC: How did you find Constant Content?
I actually found you stumbling…on StumbleUpon! And you know what? This is the 2nd time that I have subscribed to a new service from literally stumbling on a site via StumbleUpon. We are now living in an era where the news comes to us, whether it be from status updates on LinkedIn, the news feed from Facebook, or timelines on Twitter, or even the recommendations algorithm of StumbleUpon!
CC: What is the benefit of sharing content via social media?
There are many benefits of sharing content via social media, but it really comes down to your objective. On the one hand, professionals who share content via social media about job openings in their industry could be Paying It Forward just by this simple act and helping others who might be very thankful for that information. Professionals who share industry articles that they read could become “channels” that others tune into, and in doing so help establish their own professional brand. Companies can reap the same benefits and create relationships of trust that can result in greater business over the long term. We are in an era of the democratization of information, and there is no “TV Guide” for this. Should you become the “channel” that others tune into for your industry, you will reap great benefits over time.
CC: How do you feel about “repurposing” content for different platforms?
Just as the book publishing industry is looking at ways of splicing and dicing content for print, web, audio, and video, and then within those mediums different ways of dividing the content for different types of platforms (mobile vs. PC), repurposing your content for different platforms is a must because you have to be where your audience is and customize your content to make it easily consumed by them.
CC: With so many social networking sites out there, how many should a business participate in?
I think that businesses should really first try to figure out what their objective is in participating in social networking sites. Once they understand their objective, they need to understand where their audience is. It’s not a matter of being on tens or hundreds of social networking sites because each site requires an investment of time: It’s about picking a few where your audience is that you think you understand and build up your own internal success stories before expanding your efforts.
CC: How do you measure a social media campaign’s effectiveness?
Well, first of all, let me start by saying that social media is a commitment and not a campaign 😉 The second thing, and I hate to repeat myself, but it all depends on the objective of why the business has created a social media campaign. As for measuring the effectiveness, we need to look at what the campaign involved. Often, there are campaigns that are trying to help “spread the word” about the company, increase their social media following, or lead social media users to a landing page on a website. Direct effectiveness for each of these types of campaigns are 100% trackable and measurable, although indirect effectiveness is a bit more difficult to measure.
CC: How much time should a business devote to social media?
This really depends on your objective for being in social media. Once you’ve created an objective, and then your strategy, start out small and test the waters. You don’t need to hire a resource to do this: Have one of your own outward-facing employees start implementing this strategy maybe only spending 15 to 30 minutes a day. At the beginning social media will not require time because you will not have a lot of engagement. However, businesses will realize that content creation will be the place where you end up spending most of your time.
CC: What type of social media content lends itself to outsourcing?
As I just mentioned, businesses will quickly find that content creation will end up requiring the most time, especially when first implementing a social media strategy. While companies need to be representing their own brands by using their own employees when engaging in social media, I believe that creating some content that is resourceful to their industry could be something that is outsourced so long as the final product is “re-branded” by the company so that it is, at the end, spoken in their own words. Of course, in addition to outsourcing the creation of some content, it could also be just having industry experts or partners providing guest blog posts to give another point of view that your social media readers might enjoy and see you as more of an impartial resource for.
CC: Do you have any tips for keeping a blog or social media channel focused and relevant?
It all comes down to making sure your content, whether it be your own or sharing 3rd party content, passes the relevancy test: Does your target market find this information resourceful? It’s not aboutyou: It’s about them! If you have an idea for content creation, make sure that it passes this “relevancy test,” and if not, don’t get started on investing time in creating something that may not be effective in helping you reach your objective.
CC: Are there specific formats that need to be followed when creating content for social media sites?
I don’t think there’s any format that needs to be followed when creating content for social media, with the exception that every social media channel has its own functionality, culture, and history. Often we find ourselves making content for our blogs or YouTube channel and then sharing it in social media. In this case, as marketers we need to strive to create content that is authoritative, resourceful, and ideally “shareable.”
CC: Which aspects of social media do you find difficult and time consuming?
Socializing, of course! People tend to forget that it takes time to develop relationships, and this is no different online than it is offline. Professionals and businesses want to increase “engagement” in social media communities, but they don’t realize that engagement is a two-way street. Once engagement starts, you need to respond and can’t just turn it off. Yes, social media requires time, but obviously with a social media strategy in place, clear objectives, and understanding how to calculate your own ROI, it is time well invested.
CC: What social media trends affect how businesses should use content?
The biggest trend is that social media represents the convergence of information and communication. All of these social networks that were originally created for communication are now becoming popular sites that we go to for information. The latest political upheavals and natural disasters that have happened around the world only remind us of this. If businesses do not participate, which often involves sharing 3rd party content, as well as sharing your own content, they are completely missing out on this trend while their competitors may be exploiting the opportunity.
CC: When purchasing content, is full rights the only way to go? Why or why not?
I believe that purchasing full rights, which in the case of Constant Content means buying content which then you can call your own, edit, and repurpose in any way you like. The reason is that, any content that your company publishes needs to represent your company brand. Creating resourceful content often involves researching industry information and then representing it in your own way. I see no problem in sourcing resourceful content and then repurposing it in your own voice representing your own company or brand. This is only possible if full rights are purchased.
CC: If you could give just one piece of advice to someone starting social media for the first time, what would it be?
Listen, listen, and listen. A lot of people give the advice of simply listening for several weeks or even 3 months before doing anything in social media. I would add to that to not just listen, but find a role model that you can emulate. Look for the thought leaders in your industry and look at what they are doing on the various social media channels. How do they share content? How often do theyengage with others? If you study those that are successful in social media, you can learn a lot about how to successfully implement your own social media strategy.
Neal Schaffer is recognized as a leader in helping businesses and professionals embrace and strategically leverage the potential of social media. An award-winning published authorof Windmill Networking: Maximizing LinkedIn and frequent social media conference speaker, Neal is President of Windmills Marketing, a social media strategy consulting practice that has led social media strategy creation and educational programs for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to Web 2.0 startups. How can Neal help you?
This month we sat down with Neal Schaffer of Windmill Marketing to talk social media and how you can use your unique content with it. Read on to learn about the benefits of using social media, repurposing content for different social media sites, emerging trends and much more.
CC: Neal, thanks for speaking with us today. As a social media strategist, you advocate sharing content on social media channels. Can you give our readers an example?
Thanks Celeste. Sharing is as simple as retweeting content from someone that you feel is an authority or is content that you think your readers might be interested in. Twitter is a platform where this culture of sharing is deeply embedded to the point that the ReTweet is an essential part of the platform. After all, you can’t ReTweet your own tweet!
CC: How did you find Constant Content?
I actually found you stumbling…on StumbleUpon! And you know what? This is the 2nd time that I have subscribed to a new service from literally stumbling on a site via StumbleUpon. We are now living in an era where the news comes to us, whether it be from status updates on LinkedIn, the news feed from Facebook, or timelines on Twitter, or even the recommendations algorithm of StumbleUpon!
CC: What is the benefit of sharing content via social media?
There are many benefits of sharing content via social media, but it really comes down to your objective. On the one hand, professionals who share content via social media about job openings in their industry could be Paying It Forward just by this simple act and helping others who might be very thankful for that information. Professionals who share industry articles that they read could become “channels” that others tune into, and in doing so help establish their own professional brand. Companies can reap the same benefits and create relationships of trust that can result in greater business over the long term. We are in an era of the democratization of information, and there is no “TV Guide” for this. Should you become the “channel” that others tune into for your industry, you will reap great benefits over time.
CC: How do you feel about “repurposing” content for different platforms?
Just as the book publishing industry is looking at ways of splicing and dicing content for print, web, audio, and video, and then within those mediums different ways of dividing the content for different types of platforms (mobile vs. PC), repurposing your content for different platforms is a must because you have to be where your audience is and customize your content to make it easily consumed by them.
CC: With so many social networking sites out there, how many should a business participate in?
I think that businesses should really first try to figure out what their objective is in participating in social networking sites. Once they understand their objective, they need to understand where their audience is. It’s not a matter of being on tens or hundreds of social networking sites because each site requires an investment of time: It’s about picking a few where your audience is that you think you understand and build up your own internal success stories before expanding your efforts.
CC: How do you measure a social media campaign’s effectiveness?
Well, first of all, let me start by saying that social media is a commitment and not a campaign 😉 The second thing, and I hate to repeat myself, but it all depends on the objective of why the business has created a social media campaign. As for measuring the effectiveness, we need to look at what the campaign involved. Often, there are campaigns that are trying to help “spread the word” about the company, increase their social media following, or lead social media users to a landing page on a website. Direct effectiveness for each of these types of campaigns are 100% trackable and measurable, although indirect effectiveness is a bit more difficult to measure.
CC: How much time should a business devote to social media?
This really depends on your objective for being in social media. Once you’ve created an objective, and then your strategy, start out small and test the waters. You don’t need to hire a resource to do this: Have one of your own outward-facing employees start implementing this strategy maybe only spending 15 to 30 minutes a day. At the beginning social media will not require time because you will not have a lot of engagement. However, businesses will realize that content creation will be the place where you end up spending most of your time.
CC: What type of social media content lends itself to outsourcing?
As I just mentioned, businesses will quickly find that content creation will end up requiring the most time, especially when first implementing a social media strategy. While companies need to be representing their own brands by using their own employees when engaging in social media, I believe that creating some content that is resourceful to their industry could be something that is outsourced so long as the final product is “re-branded” by the company so that it is, at the end, spoken in their own words. Of course, in addition to outsourcing the creation of some content, it could also be just having industry experts or partners providing guest blog posts to give another point of view that your social media readers might enjoy and see you as more of an impartial resource for.
CC: Do you have any tips for keeping a blog or social media channel focused and relevant?
It all comes down to making sure your content, whether it be your own or sharing 3rd party content, passes the relevancy test: Does your target market find this information resourceful? It’s not aboutyou: It’s about them! If you have an idea for content creation, make sure that it passes this “relevancy test,” and if not, don’t get started on investing time in creating something that may not be effective in helping you reach your objective.
CC: Are there specific formats that need to be followed when creating content for social media sites?
I don’t think there’s any format that needs to be followed when creating content for social media, with the exception that every social media channel has its own functionality, culture, and history. Often we find ourselves making content for our blogs or YouTube channel and then sharing it in social media. In this case, as marketers we need to strive to create content that is authoritative, resourceful, and ideally “shareable.”
CC: Which aspects of social media do you find difficult and time consuming?
Socializing, of course! People tend to forget that it takes time to develop relationships, and this is no different online than it is offline. Professionals and businesses want to increase “engagement” in social media communities, but they don’t realize that engagement is a two-way street. Once engagement starts, you need to respond and can’t just turn it off. Yes, social media requires time, but obviously with a social media strategy in place, clear objectives, and understanding how to calculate your own ROI, it is time well invested.
CC: What social media trends affect how businesses should use content?
The biggest trend is that social media represents the convergence of information and communication. All of these social networks that were originally created for communication are now becoming popular sites that we go to for information. The latest political upheavals and natural disasters that have happened around the world only remind us of this. If businesses do not participate, which often involves sharing 3rd party content, as well as sharing your own content, they are completely missing out on this trend while their competitors may be exploiting the opportunity.
CC: When purchasing content, is full rights the only way to go? Why or why not?
I believe that purchasing full rights, which in the case of Constant Content means buying content which then you can call your own, edit, and repurpose in any way you like. The reason is that, any content that your company publishes needs to represent your company brand. Creating resourceful content often involves researching industry information and then representing it in your own way. I see no problem in sourcing resourceful content and then repurposing it in your own voice representing your own company or brand. This is only possible if full rights are purchased.
CC: If you could give just one piece of advice to someone starting social media for the first time, what would it be?
Listen, listen, and listen. A lot of people give the advice of simply listening for several weeks or even 3 months before doing anything in social media. I would add to that to not just listen, but find a role model that you can emulate. Look for the thought leaders in your industry and look at what they are doing on the various social media channels. How do they share content? How often do theyengage with others? If you study those that are successful in social media, you can learn a lot about how to successfully implement your own social media strategy.
Neal Schaffer is recognized as a leader in helping businesses and professionals embrace and strategically leverage the potential of social media. An award-winning published authorof Windmill Networking: Maximizing LinkedIn and frequent social media conference speaker, Neal is President of Windmills Marketing, a social media strategy consulting practice that has led social media strategy creation and educational programs for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to Web 2.0 startups. How can Neal help you?
