Resources to Succeed in Social Media

Social Media is rising and people are on it more than ever before. It is vital to use social media for your business to succeed. Yes, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn are the obvious but there are other resources to use as well.

Here are some resources to consider to succeed:

1) Hootsuite. If you aren’t using this resource you should be. You have the option to post on Twitter and Facebook at the same time. You can also schedule tweets and posts for the day. This will save you time and insure that you don’t forget to tweet or post something.

2) Tweetreach. You can have all the followers in the world but the reach and  interacting is the most important. Tweetreach tracks your reach and informs you if you are really interacting with your followers.

3) Google Keyword Tool. When you search on Google for a certain business there are limited results on the front page. People often will go up to the 3rd page but stop there. You want to make sure your business makes the first page if not the second. Learn appropriate copy-writing so that when someone searches for lets say, burgers in LA that you are first on the list.

4) Klout. This fun new interactive site is worth looking into. Basically on Klout you give users + influence on certain topics. It is best to pay attention to the influence scores as this will show you how much the audience is listening to them and how influential they are. The more influential you become, the more people will become aware of your business.

These are great resources and worth investing in. Investing them will bring you not only more customers but growth. And ultimately this is what you want!

Now go on and check these websites out!

Lookin’ Good While Doin’ Good

Despite the Focus on the Family fiasco, TOMS Shoes, and organizations similar to the brand, are a hot commodity.  After all, combining altruism and cute clothing is always a winning combination.  Stepping away from the realm of footwear is Sevenly, a company dedicated to selling a new t-shirt each week and donating the profits to a partner non-profit.

Almost as notable as the company’s business model is the utilization of social media to spread the good word.  Consumers are encouraged to brag about their purchases on Facebook and Twitter, therefore theoretically increasing the number of people anxious to buy.

The emergence of companies such as Sevenly, and their reliance on social media, illustrate the shifting nature of charity, as well as the importance of securing eager fans and followers.  Will you be checking in on a weekly basis to see if you can score stylish new duds or are you more comfortable shopping at your local Target?  Let us know in the comments.

I’m Makin’ a Lyst and I’m Checkin’ It Twice

Sometimes it’s rather tedious to sift through your RSS feed to examine the newest offering from your favorite brands and retailers.  However, Lyst is changing the online searching and shopping experience courtesy of a microblogging site which allows users to subscribe to their preferred designers, stylists, and stores.

The reverse-chronological list of status updates you receive is known as your lyst, hence the name of the site.   Furthermore, feel free to add that cropped Burberry trench or Balmain shredded tee to your feed in order to create a wish list.  This feature becomes doubly useful when you realize that the website allows you to browse multiple websites at once in order to compare prices and see newly added items to various stores’ inventory.

Will you be signing up for Lyst or are you worn out by too many social shopping sites?  Let us know in the comments.

Your Favorite Celebrities are Now Curators

Want to combine the fun of social networking and the thrill of scoring seriously discounted goods? Enter OpenSky.

The online shopping site allows users to follow their favorite celebrities, bloggers, and authors, all the while getting deals on everything from granola to gold necklaces.  The concept of OpenSky is simple: follow a noted public figure and get a peek into their favorite things.  Furthermore, the curators’ collections aren’t available for purchase for a mere twenty-four hours, like many sites.  Instead, consumers have the chance to think over that bulk buy of organic peanut butter recommended by celebrity chefs.  This is a definite plus for anyone who has used online flash sales to snag sale goods only to realize too late that their new t-strap sandals were a definite impulse purchase and they can’t get a refund.

Yet another cool aspect of OpenSky is the fact that you can include your social network.  Sign in with Facebook and let everyone know that you’re clued in to a new way to grab luxe butternut squash oil or scented bath candles on the cheap.  In addition, by following curators you get the opportunity to read their testimonials for the product.  This personalization can allay fears you may have regarding buying untested brands.

Thus far the site doesn’t have as many clothing items as ideeli or Rue La La, but we’re hoping a few more months and a few more curators will result in an increase in selection.

Will you be trying OpenSky or are you going to stick to your tried and true discount sites?  Let us know in the comments.

 

Get It Here: Crowdsourcing Fashion

Crowdsourcing has become the trend du jour as of late thanks to heavyweights such as The New York Times employing it in order to discover the identity of Nazi photographers or communities dedicated to… um, lawn mowing.  The point is that the era of the individual may still be upon us, but we are now harnessing the power of the masses.  Capitalizing on this is Where2getit.com, a site dedicated to finding users that perfect cardigan or the exact strappy sandals they’ve been lusting over.

The idea behind Where2getit is simple- you post a picture of an item you have been coveting, along with a few descriptive details, and a community of users will be able to assist you in locating the goods.  So, what’s in it for these sartorial detectives? Instant bragging rights on the site, along with points and badges.  Moreover, the site eventually hopes to offer gift cards to users who have accumulated enough points.

Where2getit has definite potential, but is such a site financially and socially viable when we have Google at our fingertips?  Furthermore, while it’s nice to have yet another social community dedicated to fashion one could argue that maybe it’s getting a little crowded on the web.  Will you be enlisting the help of Where2getit or will you be relying on the trusted technique of bugging your friends and typing in a search engine?

A Friend Request from the F.B.I.

In a move which could either be a sign of the times or plain frightening, the F.B.I. has taken to Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube in order to apprehend James “Whitey” Bulger, an informant who disappeared sixteen years ago.  You may be familiar with this Irish mobster currently of the character he inspired in “The Departed”.  The F.B.I. is launching the social media campaign in fourteen cities and is particularly interested in Bulger’s significant other-  Catherine Elizabeth Greig.  They hope that thirty second television advertisements playing on shows with a heavy female viewing base will help them break the case.  The public service announcements began running on June 21, 2011 in cities which have been previously linked to Bulger and Greig.  Moreover, the F.B.I. has updated their Facebook and Twitter accounts with information regarding the case.  Furthermore, users can give the F.B.I. tips via either social media platform.

Do you think the videos of the accused woman, along with an active Facebook and Twitter feed, will result in the capture of Bulger and Co. or could federal resources be put towards a more useful pursuit?  Tell us in the comments!

Update (June 23, 2011):  Guess the campaign worked- Whitey was captured in Los Angeles after a surveillance operation.