How to Syndicate Your Blog with Social Media Tools

 

You just spent hours re-designing your blog. You wrote one of your best posts to date – but that’s it. You didn’t do anything else with your blog. No one on the Internet will know your blog exists unless you actually promote it. What’s the point of having a blog if it floats around in the cyber ethers?

With the many social media plug-ins out there, it is very easy to syndicate your blog – an efficient and cost-effective way to market your blog. I’ve discussed the power of social media automation in my past series, How to Automate Social Media Posts in 5 Easy Steps – and automation also applies to your blog. Why make more work for yourself?

Use these social media tools and your blog will take off in no time:

HootSuite is a web-based social networking application that lets you bring together content from various online sources. Access and manage your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many other accounts all in one location. You then have the option of manually updating them all, or setting up an auto-update for your social sites.

RSS Graffitiis the easiest way to update your Facebook page. It takes your blog post title, a small sample, and an image from the post and updates your status.

TwitterFeed is one of the most effective way to syndicate your blog. It can update Twitter and Facebook (among a few other social networking sites) and integrates hash tags, keywords and URL shortening services.

Keep in mind that while these are helpful tools for auto-syndication, it is not a good idea to solely rely on them to market your blog. Automated updates, coupled with personalized updates and comments (mention your posts on other blogs, forums, LinkedIn, etc.), are effective channels to create buzz around your blog. Remember to create impactful content that keeps readers coming back for more!  

What other social media tools do you use to market your blog? Please comment/share! 

What Does Our Social Media Future Look Like?

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a happy, healthy and safe holiday season.

Where is our social media future headed? The following Microsoft video dates back from 2009 but its impact still hits home as we begin 2011.  The video features what our technology future looks like in 2019 - which is just eight years away. 

This Microsoft video made me think about where our social media future is headed - what trends will we see in 2011 and beyond?

Here are some trends to watch for this year:

• Location-based marketing: Service-based companies such as restaurants, hotels, and retailers will see a huge spurt as people feel more comfortable using FourSquare and other location-based apps.
• Mobile marketing campaigns: Text campaigns for mobile users will explode this year. Small business owners will take advantage of this affordable mobile marketing. A great way to connect easily and quickly with customers!
• Cause social marketing & tweet-a-thons: Charities and non-profits will jump on board and utilize Twitter to mobilize their online fundraising campaigns. This is great for promoting causes and building relationships with online donors - the future of non-profit fundraising! 
• More review sites: We'll see an influx of consumer-review sites - an effective way to track your online reputation, and allows you to pay attention to what customers and clients say about your company brand.
• Plug-ins and more plug-ins: Plug-ins will skyrocket and hundreds more will surface each month to make our social networking easier and more efficient.

I can't even BEGIN to fathom what social media will look like in 2019. Or will something bigger and better come along to blow social media out of the water?

Where do you think social media is headed? What are your predictions for 2019? 

 

Why Companies Need to Closely Manage Social Media Updates

I just read a good article on Social Media Today, 10 Ways Offline Businesses Can Use Social Media. I agree with many of the points brought up in the article. However, I disagree with #4 - about putting your company to work when it comes to social media. Sometimes "too many cooks in the kitchen" can ruin a company's social media marketing campaign. 

I think it depends on the size of your company. If you are a one or two person business, then it's very likely you'll be managing your social media accounts. In larger companies, it's not a good idea to have ALL your employees involved in social media marketing.

I think it's great that companies want to create a positive buzz about their brand, products and services. However, there needs to be a united front when it comes to a company's social media marketing message. As a copywriter and online marketing consultant, I think this is very important that posts/updates are written cohesively with a clear message in mind - and your target market in mind. 

However, it's up to you - the company decision maker - to decide your course of social media action. If your business is more casual and niche, then it might be prudent to include your employees in your social media frenzy.

Here are a few tips to pass along if you decide to allow your employees to post social media updates: 

• Make sure you either have a meeting or send out a memo as to what messages/updates are deemed appropriate and what's not appropriate. Obviously, you don't want your employees using inappropriate language or trashing competitors - so make sure you spell out CLEARLY your expectations/social media update rules.  
• Send examples of published posts to employees so they can get a feel for tone and messaging. You don't need to dictate verbatim what they should write, but messaging needs to remain cohesive - this is imperative when it comes to social media marketing.
• If anyone breaks the company's social media rules, they should be taken out of the mix altogether and not be allowed to post updates anymore - that's just good business sense. Online reputation is everything! You don't want a rebellious employee posting drunk holiday party pictures as a joke to be the demise of your company! 

As I previously mentioned, I don't think it's a good marketing idea for larger companies to have their employees go crazy with social media updates. It could be counter-productive to their job duties,  and employees already spend enough time on their personal Facebook accounts as it is.

I recommend that companies invest in a trained social media marketing consultant, or leave it to their sales, marketing and/or communications staffs to create editorial-driven, professional social media marketing campaigns.