Tag: twitter

A Reminder from #Fight4MSU

By Guest On October 25, 2013 In Lessons Learned, Social Media

It all started with this one tweet….

Seems pretty innocent, right? I think it’s great that Mississippi State was trying to harness the power of social media to rally fans during a Thursday night showdown. I like their idea. Fan-generated content is a great way to get fans engaged. Everyone likes showing up on the video board and feeling like they’re a part of something.

It didn’t take long after MSU’s tweet for their hashtag to get hijacked though. People started having a field day. Why? Because of one simple word in their tweet…

ALL.

When MSU promised that ALL tweets were going to appear on the video board (whether they were or not), trolls saw it as the perfect opportunity to interject into the conversation. This is an easy mistake to make. I can put myself in their shoes and empathize. Still, it’s an important and simple reminder for us all:

Craft your tweets with care.

One word, one misspelling, one mistake, etc. can derail your message. #Fight4MSU might have been hijacked even without the word “all”, but it’s better to play it on the safe side. You never want to setup fans, trolls, and the Twitter world for the perfect hijack. Craft your tweets wisely. See if they can be taken out of context. Read, re-read and re-read.

My last disclaimer is this: If you’re planning a major campaign around a hashtag (where you can’t control the conversation), please have some kind of backup plan in case things don’t go as you expected.

10 Tactics That #Win On Twitter

By Guest On October 21, 2013 In Best Practices, Twitter with 1 Comment

One of the keys to a great Twitter presence is varying your tweets. If you never surprise your fans with different content, then how do you expect them to spread your message? Below are 10 easy messaging tactics to get your fans to share on Twitter:

1. Empathize with your fans.

2. Dish out a little banter (at the right time).

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Is the Social Media Manager Dead?

By Guest On October 16, 2013 In Social Media with 3 Comments

photo-16A few weeks ago an article spread like wildfire in the Twittersphere declaring the “the social media manager is dead”.  I couldn’t disagree more.  The social media manager isn’t dead; the role is just evolving and maturing.  This shouldn’t be a surprise considering social media is an industry that is still relatively new and one that is always changing.

Here’s why I think the article was misleading / wrong:

1.  Social media needs a centralized person.
Every brand needs a centralized point of contact to oversee the overall social media strategy and ensure all the pieces of the puzzle work together to tell a cohesive brand story. The worst thing a brand can do is have a fragmented social media strategy.  You need a social media brand keeper. Period.

Additionally, social media is a lot to keep up with. I’ve been in roles before where social media was just a component of my job, and honestly, I couldn’t keep up with the industry.  If social media is a priority for an organization, they need to have someone who is staying up to date on the latest trends and educating the staff. 

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It’s Okay Be a Little Human After a Loss

By Guest On September 30, 2013 In Best Practices, Twitter with 3 Comments

I think one of the most difficult tasks of a team’s social media manager is how to handle a loss. Your fans are a passionate group and this passion increases tenfold during a loss. One miswording can throw them into a tizzy. You have to tread lightly. I get it.

I’ve been following the Twitter coverage of college football teams this season though, and I’m convinced that a loss is an opportunity to show empathy, be relatable and be human. All too often I see tweets that read just like a box score:

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How Can I Create a Rockin’ Social Media Calendar?

By Guest On September 24, 2013 In Digital, Social Media, Twitter with 1 Comment

Creating a social media calendar makes the life of a social media / community manager so much easier. Yes, it takes a little grunt work in the beginning, but if you can bear and grin it you’ll find your workload to be a little bit more manageable.

I still think social media calendars are often undervalued. If we start them, we need to finish them. If we build them, we need to use them. If we use them, we need to evaluate them. It’s work that’s worth it.

If you’re going to take the time to create a social media calendar, you want to make sure you’re maximizing its value. Below are my tips for creating a great one:

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