Lumenica, llc » Social Media

10 Reasons not to be on Social Media

admin — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:33:37 +0000

10 Reasons not to be on Social Media

As a Social Media Consultant, it is my job to help my clients understand the ins and outs of social media, the trends and the guide on how to use it effectively. Unlike most social media strategists, I do not believe that every business, association or non profit needs to be on all the social media channels. My main job is to help clients understand the differences between the characteristics of the different social media outlets and identifying which one is the best for them. Once hired, I also help clients identify if social media really is the right avenue for them.

Here is my checklist for why you shouldn’t be on social media:

1. You think Social Media should replace your marketing efforts.
2. You don’t believe in Social Media and still think it’s a FAD.
3. You don’t know what you’re social media strategy is.
4. You don’t know your online audience.
5. You are afraid of what people might say about your company and you would rather not know.
6. You are only interested in a one way communication channel.
7. You are looking for overnight results.
8. You are afraid of change and not willing to adapt to changes in social media channels.
9. You think that like a website, your social media presence can be static.
10. You are not willing to promote others via social media.

If you any one of the points outlined above describe you and your organization, re-evaluate why you’re using social media channels. Always have a strategy and know your audience before you portray your business on any social media site.

Need help identifying your strategy? Contact a Social Media strategist like yours truly by emailing info@lumenica.com or using our booking calendar below to book a session!

- Lumenica - illuminate your web presence !

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Social Media Tools for Non Profits

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 00:21:55 +0000

Social Media for nonprofits

View more presentations from Rabiya Jilani.

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Online tools for Small Businesses

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:19:05 +0000

An outline of different online tools to help businesses become more productive, efficient, organized and reach a greater audience.

View more presentations from Rabiya Jilani.

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10 fun and practical twitter tools to help you become a more efficient tweeter!

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:47:54 +0000

A list of different Twitter tools to make tweeting, efficient, fun and practical

1. www.twitterbackgrounds.com- customize backgrounds for your twitter account

2. www.Twellow.com: Directory of public twitter accounts. Organizes by categories. Great to see who to follow related to what you’re interested in.

2. www.Friendorfollow.com: Who are you following that’s not following you back? Who’s following you that you’re not following back? Find out!

3. www.Tweetdeck.com: A desktop Twitter application. To allow users to send and receive tweets and view profiles. It is the most popular Twitter application

4. www.whatthetrend.com: Find out what’s trending on Twitter and why.

5. www.Bit.ly: Shorten a URL, Track clicks. Similar to www.Tinyurl.com

6. www.Twittercounter.com: Offers Twitter user statistics and historical follower count.

7. www.Tweetchat.com: TweetChat helps put your blinders on to the Twitter-sphere while you monitor and chat about one topic.

8. www.Search.twitter.com: Search everyone’s tweets – in realtime

9. www.Twittersheep.com: Enter your twitter username to see a tag cloud from the ‘bios’ of your twitter flock.

10. www.hootsuite.com: An online based Twitter management tool which allows you to tweet on multiple twitter accounts, track statistics. You can create groups, schedule tweets, view tweets as threaded conversations.

A post on Online Marketing Blog discusses Five New Twitter Tools it mentioned some great new gadgets.

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5 things not to do when it comes to Social Media

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:03:20 +0000

The internet is swarming with things to do when it comes to Social Media and yes I too have written a post to that affect. Today I would like to do a different kind of post, one that talks about things NOT to do when it comes to social media. I think it’s important to learn the ethics of social media and equally important to learn what’s a big no-no.

The following strategies are pet peeves:

1. If I repeat, they will come: Sell your skills/expertise not your products- I will never promote or recommend someone who is constantly announcing why their company is the best and the special deals they have going. If you don’t engage your online community and have conversations with them or have something of value to offer, get a megaphone and get off social media.

2. TMI: If you are using social media to promote your business, keep bathroom breaks to yourself. I understand social media has become part of life, but I truly feel the concept of TMI (too much info) has become invisible. Please keep bowel movements to yourself.

3. If it exists, I must tweet: Do not just tweet about anything and everything, have a strategy, a focus. Ask yourself, what are you focusing on? What are you trying to achieve?

4. I have a camera, I must share: Do not put up a picture of anything and everything, be cautious. Just saw a fellow tweep put a pic of herself in Hawaii in a bikini-where’e the unfollow button? (This would depend on the type of profession you are in I guess.)

5. If they exist, I must add: Do not add just anyone and everyone. If I see someone following 1000people and only 100 people following them, I will think of them as a spammer and not be interested in following them.

Every so often I re-evaluate the tweeps I follow, the pages I am a fan of and re-evaluate who to continue to follow and who to leave behind. Sorry if you are one of those who didn’t make the list. Maybe if you stop doing the things mentioned above, I will follow you again. Until then adios!

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10 free Online Poll and Survey Applications:

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:03:38 +0000

As a business consultant one of the most common things I urge businesses to do is to get feedback, know your customer, ask questions. During a recent meeting, a client asked me to provide a list of common poll/survey applications that can be utilized.

Here is a list of the different tools I have tried out, got any others, add them to the list:

1 Linkedin Polls: I have personally used Linkedin polls and have found it easy to use and simple. Easy to create. Can be shared with with your network or selected professionals. View real time results. Get external link that can be distributed to anyone.

2 Poll Code: Free. You can customize with colors and fonts. Quick post option for Myspace, Facebook and Wordpress.

3 FreeOnlineSurveys.com: Create email or web based surveys. Free. You can create upto 20 questions. Data Analysis feature available. You can insert videos from youtube or google video within survey.

4 Poll Daddy: Free. Real Time reporting. Embed pictures or html within poll/survey. International language support. Export data as XML, CSV, and receive results via email or RSS. Works with blogger, TypePad, Wordpress etc.

5 Facebook Poll: I haven’t had any problems but I have heard some complaints. Free. Application is easy to add. Can be added to personal profile or business pages. Allows you to add HTML tags to the polls.

6 Survey Monkey: Free version is quite powerful. Powerful designs available. Different lay out options, Send automated responses to those who haven’t responded or left the survey incomplete. Powerful reporting tool. Highly recommend it for the analytic tools alone.

7 Constant Contact: Free 60 day trial. Gives sample questions. Survey wizard is quite powerful. Customize poll with colors and your logo. Can be embedded within website or blog. Create custom invitation. Send auto-reminders. Analyze invitations and results.

8 Ace Polls: Free. Can be added to website, blog, myspace, wordpress, email link etc. Simple and easy to use.

9 Google Forms: Google Forms is a great way to collect information, I have utlized the online based system to gather information from clients or getting feedback specific to a client. You can create a private poll or a public one and publish it on the web. For more information about Google Forms and other Google Docs, read my post 10 ways to use Google Docs for Small Business.

10 Twt Poll: Another online based poll, great for social media usage. You do need to have a twitter account to use the product. Ability to customize the look and feel of the poll. To see more features, click here to see video.

Got any other suggestions? Email me at rabiyaj@lumenica.com or post a comment below.

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Social Media for Non Profits

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:49:17 +0000

Social Media for Non Profits

View more documents from Rabiya Jilani.

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Exploiting Social Media: Would you buy followers or fans for your twitter and facebook account?

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:01:34 +0000

I recently taught classes on Social Media to Small Businesses and Non Profits in the DC area. During my classes one of the main thing I emphasize on is it’s not the quantity of fans or followers you have it’s the quality of followers. The more I repeat this phrase, the more I see people not convinced by this statement.

On a lazy Tuesday night I decided to check out craigslist for a bit and was alarmed to see companies selling “followers” to twitter users and “fans” to facebook users. As I saw the numerous advertisements I started doing a little research only to realize that there are several businesses that are advertising similar services to desperate businesses and non profits who are trying to win the popularity contest.

They include pitches like:

1,000 followers/fans for $100
1,000 followers/fans in 7 days
2,500 followers/fans in 14 days
100,000 followers/fans in 1 year

My question to those who buy fans or followers is how do you create a community around your brand? What is your goal for being on a social media? I guess there is a business opportunity in everything.

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Shift Happens

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:24:08 +0000

This is another official update to the original “Shift Happens” video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist.

Personally thought it highlighted some interesting facts and predictions! It amazes me how in this day and age with technology advancements and social media tools, there are still businesses and individuals out there who refuse to enhance their online image. What we need to figure out as individuals and business owners is, how can we keep upto date with the technological advancements and not get left behind. Enjoy this great video!

Interesting points highlighted in the study:

More video was uploaded to youtube in the last two months than if abc, nbc and cbs had been airing new content 24/7/365 since 1948.
$3 Million- the amount Dell claims to have earned via Twitter posts since 2007.
Among larger US companies, 17% have disciplined an employee for violating blog or message board policies
90% of the 200 billion emails sent every day are spam
The mobile device will be the world’s primary connection tool to the internet in 2020.

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