Susan Does Social

When you're ready to hire your next social media professional, scrutinize him or her with the same diligence you would your tax preparer, your accountant or your HR team. Social media marketers need business acumen and diligence. Social media, done well, can make a real difference in your business. It's time to expect more, regardless of your business size.  The Four Social Media Marketer Must-Haves Analysis What are you getting for your hard-earned marketing dollars? Your social media marketer should send you monthly or quarterly reports analyzing your growth and progress on all fronts. Is growth showing? If not, why not? And, what is the solution? Hootsuite recently released an update with fantastic analytics and dashboards for free in the free service, and every platform has available analytics. There is no excuse for a lack of meaningful metrics and intelligence in your social media marketing.  Caveat: Not every post will be viral, or even successful, ...

Companies with boring stories do not succeed. But, then again, I have never encountered a company with a boring story. I have, however, encountered many businesses who haven't figured out how to tell their story. CEOs, salespeople and marketers need to remember that we are all storytellers. Last night, I had the pleasure of reading a business' story that was so compelling from Inc. that I almost bought GT's Kombucha this morning. And, this business' growth, IMHO, was due not only to the passion of the son but also to the storytelling skill of his mother who nurtured the business in its infancy. Executives have a story about their business--why it exists and why they have worked endless hours to nurture it and watch it grow. No one will dump endless hours into something they don't believe in--that kind of dedication requires passion. I've seen passion in HR, in software development, in legal services and in colleges. But, what happens to that pass...

Because small business owners are being taken advantage of. Social media marketers are the modern financial planners. There are good and bad, and the bad are really, really bad for you and your assets. And, you may never know until it is too late. What's the difference between an amateur and a pro? Analysis Marketing mind Calendaring Open hands Analysis Who are you online? Do you know? More importantly, does your social media manager know? Your social media manager should report to you at least once a month with your current position in relation to your competitors and your month-over-month progress.  What were the most successful posts last month? Why were they most successful? How can they be repeated? Where is your audience going on your website? How can you make that page better? Where else do you need them to go?  How is social contributing to your bottom line? How many people are going from social to your website? Are you being found on Google more? ...

Are you willing to show how you do what you do? Are you willing to open your hands and show all your tools of your trade, from hootsuite to canva to allthefreestock ? Last week, a discussion ran across my stream that a boss had asked to see a social media marketer do her job. The boss actually asked to spend a day at her side, watching her work. Her response was fear, and so many others supported her, saying her job was threatened and the boss would take over the social media. One respondent actually said, once the boss knows how easy your job is, he/ she will stop paying you. What?!? My response? Say yes. If you're an expert, open your hands and show the experience and skill they're getting every day. Job security is a myth The fear: you'll be replaced when the boss sees how easy your job is. Let's be honest: if you're taking hours a day to do something the boss could do in a quarter of the time and demanding a premium salary, you should be replaced. ...

Better social is possible for the #SMB . But, you have to believe that #social is more than a few tweets and cat pics. #ThursdayThoughts

The vile blank page.  This specific blog post was blank for weeks before I got started. The intimidation is real, and it applies to novices and more seasoned writers as well. Nowadays, it's more typically the blank screen, but the same rules apply (with a few unique caveats I'll mention in a moment). There are three main ways to get started here. Choose a topic and begin reading When I was an instructor, I was amazed at the number of students who would pull a topic out of their heads and expect to begin writing at that moment. They assume that's what all writers do, and, more tragically, that's what our public school system teaches them. Let's all be honest--if there's nothing in your head on a topic, don't write yet because you have nothing of interest to say.  I was writing for a law firm once, and I had no knowledge of their industry. Before I could have an intelligent conversation with the client, I read. I read their site, their competi...

Is this a definitive truth, limiting all of us to thoughts with the same depth and meaning as a Twitter post, or are we creating a machine that teaches us little of value extends beyond 8 seconds? This was part of a #socialnomics video I watched during a social media class at Northwestern. I don't think we're yet doomed to a world that can't comprehend Shakespeare or Frederick Douglass yet, but it will require a conscious choice to avoid such a fate.  I have four school-age children as well as two brands I manage on social media. I see school reaching out to the lowest common denominator, touting that as the new norm, rather than driving aspirational thinking. However, when parents demand more and create a culture of intentionality, children can leverage longer attention spans and learn, truly learn, anything. Same thing with social media--we can dedicate our entire marketing effort to the lowest common denominator, or we can speak to those who are looking for depth as well...