Connecting the Dots / An Agency Blog

A new year, some new toys to play with. Changes to Facebook Places, the addition of Google Plus Pages, and a big feature roll-out for brands on Twitter that we’re still in the midst of. Tumblr and LinkedIn continue to grow their user base, and new apps coming onto the scene, like Instagram continue to offer new possibilities for branded social experiences. Sounds like the perfect time for a quick survey, heading into 2012, to make sure your brand’s presence is in order. Let’s break them down into channels. Not all of these things are “page” specific, but it’s all stuff you’re going to want to put into action this year if you’re not already doing so.

GET PLUSSED
Google Plus Pages help with your brand’s search page return results, and make you look like you have your act together. So leave the arguing about Google Plus’ relevance to the nerds and stake a claim on your brand before someone else does.

Don’t feel stupid though, I’m an expert, and still found it a pain to set up a Plus page. Mainly due to Google’s gaff of not offering admin access to pages when it first launched. I am an employee at Engine Digital, and maintain my own presence on Google, which wasn’t playing nice with Engine’s profile. So while everyone was writing “Set up a Google Plus page in 3 Minutes or less” blog posts, they forgot to mention one key ingredient; what Google email you’re supposed to use. It’s an important detail, find out about multiple authors for Google Plus.

Once your up and running, some things to keep in mind:

• The “About” area is pretty restrictive, but make sure it’s filled out
• Be sure to add some photos, it makes everything look nice, and… branded
• Make sure when you’re posting content to your Plus page that you use a nice, bolded headline (wrap the headline in an asterix)
• Add tags to the bottom of your posts too, it increases search results (within Google Plus)

GET PLACED WITH YOUR GROWING MOBILE AUDIENCE
2011 was the year of the individual, in respect to Facebook’s biggest changes, since they mostly went down on single user profiles. Still, some things for businesses in 2011 that happened at Facebook signaled a nod to what everybody is talking about; we’re all going mobile. If you’re using Facebook as a brand, and you haven’t thought about how to connect with a mobile audience yet, you’re a bit behind. But that’s ok! It’s a new year. One thing you can do right now, is get your Facebook page connected with your “place” and start offering some incentive for check-ins. Learn how by following this link.

If you’ve already got mobile check-ins integrated into your Facebook page, consider getting involved with Instagram. It’s new, fresh, and everybody loves it. It was app of the year in 2011 and it’s a great way for you to follow your audience in the mobile space. And with third-party apps like http://instafb.com/ you can create content for your Facebook page while you’re on the go.

Done all that? Make your Facebook profile page look boss with a custom landing page that has a clear call to action as to what a user can expect for liking it. Learn how to do this by clicking here.

GET READY FOR TWITTER 2012
Brand pages! Announced earlier in December, 2011, they’re a bit mysterious at this point and continue to be unveiled on select brands at the time this blog post was written.

While you might not be one of the lucky ones right now, you can expect to be taking on the new brand page features in no time. Consider this a breather then, to revisit your brands’ original goals for being on Twitter in the first place, and making sure that in 2012 your new page reflects these goals.

Be prepared for:

• A custom headline image
• Larger profile picture
• A sticky tweet that you can select to be placed at the top of your stream

In addition to these changes, Twitter now offers more button embed functionality. Now you can integrate calls to share, inline with blog content for responses to questions like:

What do you think of this post so far? Do you find it helpful?
Tweet to @davidlook

You can ask users to follow you directly, when its relevant to the content:

Follow me for future updates and changes to this post!
Follow @davidlook

And you can also ask users to converse within a hashtag topic:

Something to say? Use Twitter’s official hashtag for their new look:
Tweet #newlook

And finally, you can embed Twitter content straight into your blog to help make a point:

Back in the office today. bring on 2012!

— Engine Digital (@EngineDigital) January 3, 2012

All these new features, once available, will allow your blog to work harder in conjunction with a Twitter account, and get your audience engaged with content seamlessly. Get more details at https://twitter.com/about/resources/buttons

CONSIDER THE TUMBLR
Tumblr kind of had its big year in 2010, but it shows no signs of slowing down. Vogue and Vanity Fair came on board this year, along with a plethora of other image/lifestyle based brands. Some other reasons to consider getting Tumblr going for your business are:

• It fills the hole between Twitter and your blog, allowing for a more visually pleasing presence without writing too much
• Allows for short bursts of content generated from like-minded people you consider your mavens and influencers
• Accommodates a team effort, in the form of multiple authors, which is what we do for our own Tumblr that I hope you’re following
• It can be sent straight to your Facebook Page’s wall feed

GREASE YOUR LINKEDIN
Regardless of how much you use LinkedIn, you should at least have Twitter and RSS helping you to connect to your network in this space. It just makes life a little easier. Click here to learn how to do it. Many other apps can be embedded to LinkdIn as well. Visit LinkedIn’s Apps page to find out more.

Two other things to keep in mind when it comes to LinkedIn:

• Be selective about adding content to your Products and Services tab
• Make sure you’re using the Recommend button to allow your business network to write about your offerings

BE A PLAYER
There’s nothing wrong with a re-visit of a few best practices for being a social brand as we begin a new year, fresh with enthusiasm. So keep in mind the following, just in case you’ve forgotten:

• Rule #1: content is king. It can be ugly, it can be stupid and meaningless, but if it’s good content, they’ll be back. Sad, but so true
• Use your blog as a starting point for your content, and then customize each post in smaller packages for your other channels
• Test the timing of your posts. Research shows there are optimum times to post content, so find out what works for you
• Make sure you’re listening. It will help you discover the kind of content your audience wants
• Be useful, not robotic
• Insight, sneak peeks, discounts, support, humour are all great content generators
• Before hitting the post button, ask yourself if you would share it
• Ask questions and start conversations
• Experiment with different types of content other than just text
• Put listen, respond, track and adjust on repeat
• If you don’t have time, consider hiring someone, because this stuff is that important

Following these simple steps and getting to know some of the latest features at your disposal should set you straight for a great year. If you have any other new and cool toys that brands can use to increase their online presence let us know by sharing them, like any good content consumer would. Happy 2012.

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