Why I Keep a Social Media Journal... And You Should Too.

Consistency, performance, lead generation, page views and return on investment. These are just some of the key metrics business owners, myself included, hope to get from social media. But how do we get there? That’s the $64,000 question. How do we know that what we’re doing is working? Especially when it comes to something as fluid as social media.

I’m not a social media expert. I simply try to help my clients develop a strategy that works for them and their business, but it has to be easy to execute. If they can’t stick to a system than what’s the point?

There are dozens of sites and advisers that promise in-depth tracking results and all kinds of complicated metrics, but most business owners don’t care about that kind of technical stuff. So what are some easy things to track, that actually provide a certain level of valuable insight?

I’ve started a social media journal and so far it’s really helped me get a thumbnail view of what’s working and what isn’t.                        

You don't have to be a teenage girl to keep a journal

So what do I track?

TIME SPENT

A social media journal helps me keep tabs on how much time I’m spending every week crafting my social media strategy. By having a developed plan, I can streamline the process so I’m not wasting lots of time on techniques that don’t produce results.

I recommend using a site like Hootsuite, that lets you integrate all your social media accounts (twitter, facebook and Linkedin, etc), so you can easily post content on a variety of platforms at once.

Hootsuite also lets you schedule your posts. I spend an hour or two on Monday morning finding content to share, then scheduling it to go out at set times during the week. It helps me keep things consistent for my followers and it saves me from having to log into multiple sites everyday.
 

TYPE OF POSTS

I keep track of what type of info I’m sending out. My preferred social network is twitter, so I’m really focused on the type of tweets I’m sharing.

There are all kinds of tweets: random thoughts, calls to action (tweets with links), re-tweets, mentions (those that include names of other users), and questions designed to get a response. Just to name a few.

SEQUENCE

How do you know which type of posts are working? A social media journal lets you track the sequence of your posts, so you can build up to maximum impact.

Maybe you’re working on a new blog post and the goal is to increase your page views. Try sharing info related to the topic you're writing about, before you direct people to your post. It’s a subtle way to whet their appetite, and it can be done in a variety of ways.

Pick a day you want to post your latest entry, let’s say Wednesday. Then on Monday post a comment to let your followers know you’re working on the new post. On Tuesday you ask them what type of info they’d like to see included. That feedback helps you shape the content to what potential customers want, plus, it gives your readers a sense of investment. When you post a link to your blog on Wednesday, your readers will be excited to see if you addressed their needs.

Make sure to mix up the type of info you share. Find out which sequences work and which ones don’t. That way you have a blueprint for success to meet your different goals.

DEFINING GOALS

A social media journal helps you define your goals. Having hundreds of facebook friends is great, but if you’re interested in generating leads you need to find ways to get them to sign up for your newsletter or e-mail list. By defining your goals you can tweak your strategy and get feedback from the public, so you can turn them into new customers.

Not everything works on every social media platform. What works on twitter doesn’t always get the same results on facebook. A social media journal helps you figure out how potential customers are interacting with you across those different platforms, so you can target people in a way that works for them and you.

IS YOUR CONTENT BEING CONSUMED?

Hootsuite lets you shrink the links you’re sharing with your online friends. More importantly, it lets you track the number of people that actually click that link. It’s a great way to see what type of posts are convincing people to consume your content. Find out what works and what doesn’t. Cut out what doesn’t work and double up the things that do.

A shrunken link via HootSuite

It’s important to realize that there are no surefire ways to measure success. It’s all about crafting a system that works for you and your business. A social media journal doesn’t have to be super in-depth, but it’s essential to have a system that lets you define your goals and figure out what’s working. Once you set a few simple metrics you want to track you’ll be able to hone your approach and turn online friends into online customers.

I’d love to know what you think. What are your goals and what social media metrics do you track?

Chris Vanasdalan is a freelance writer and part-time PR & social media consultant. He’d love to help you develop a content development strategy that works for your business. You can follow him on twitter @WriteNowIndy, find him on facebook, or on the web at www.writenowindy.com.

Using Twitter: The Importance of Being a Leader & Follower

I’m still fairly new to twitter, but I’ve picked up a few things in the year I’ve been micro-blogging. In fact I’m even starting to have friends and clients come to me first when they have questions about how to use twitter.

I’m admit, there are times I feel like a graduate teaching assistant, trying to keep myself a lesson ahead of the class, so I think it’s time for a basic review. Here’s one of the recent questions I’ve been getting:

I want a lot of people following me. Do I need to follow a lot of people back?

Short answer yes, long answer no. The goal is to build a network. It can’t be a one-sided relationship, but it’s it’s essential to find a balance that works for you.

Show Your Personal Side

You’re judged by the company you keep. Potential buyers want to see the personal side of your organization. The bios on Twitter are really short. Who you follow lets people see what you’re into and who you hang with. If I’m checking out someone’s account I want to see who they’re following.

I look at their ratio. A user who follows thousands of people but has very few followers, will often be a spammer or a wallflower. Either way I’m usually not interested.

Find Like-Minded People

Every few weeks I like to spend a morning taking a closer look at who I’m following. I visit their time-line to see who else is following them, because chances are, those folks have similar interests to me. If I follow them and jump into the conversation, hopefully they’ll return the favor down the road. Especially if I’m sharing content that benefits them.

Instant Authority

Twitter is all about making connections and sharing information. It’s never been easier to find and spread awesome content to your followers. Bringing them fresh info makes you an instant authority and they’ll come looking for you often.

The question is, where will that content come from? Those you follow are a great source for instant information you can share with your potential customers. Helping others spread content hopefully means they’ll do the same when your promoting your next blog post or product launch.

Customer Service

Following your customers lets you respond to their concerns quickly, which is just good customer service. Staying involved lets you hear all the great things they’re saying about you and your brand. It’s also a great way to share your success stories. Retweeting praise is an simple and free way to let everyone know that you’re keeping your customers satisfied.

More importantly, you can respond quickly if they aren’t happy. The bottom line is that you’re interacting, showing that you care.

Identify the Influencers

Twitter is essentially a giant cocktail party. At any party there are some people that do a lot more talking than others. Maybe they have the best stories to tell, or they’re great at small talk, but it’s important to target those folks that bring a little more influence to the party.

These are usually folks that have hundreds or thousands of followers but don’t follow that many themselves. They’ve already put in the work to generate a massive following, and they’re obviously providing great info or people wouldn’t stick around to hear what they had to say.

Go ahead and join their conversations. The key is to always bring something useful to the party. Influencers are a great resource if you can interact with them in a way that benefits them and their followers. Getting an influencer to comment on one of your tweets means getting your brand in front of thousands of eyeballs, which can bring a slew of new followers.

Quality Vs. Quantity

I don’t follow thousands of people. I just can’t keep track of that many people. I’d rather keep things a little more intimate. For me a close circle of friends sharing usable info is better than thousands of people tweeting about how they burned their eggs or why their boyfriend is a jerk.

There are no hard and fast rules for using twitter and there are entire books devoted to techniques designed to help you build a strategy. It’s essential that you pay attention and find a ratio that works for you and your brand.

Chris Vanasdalan is a full-time writer and part time PR honk who would love to talk to you about developing a social media strategy. You can follow him on twitter here... or check out his website www.writenowindy.com.

Indiana County Council Hopeful Involved in Car Crash: Opponent First on Scene

Chris Vanasdalan

Henry County, INDIANA -A Democratic candidate for Henry County Council was involved in a car accident last night, and his Republican opponent was one of the first to spot the crash.

Steve Duggar (R) tells WXIN-TV in Indianapolis he was picking up his nieces from their home in Caddus, Indiana last night when he spotted a damaged car stopped along the road. Duggar says he was “the first one there to look in on the person, and it was my opponent, Steve Holmes.”

Duggar told WXIN, “You know, I recognized him, but it was such a... such a surprise. You know, of all people to see, it was my opponent.”

Duggar says one of his nieces called her mother, an EMT, who drove to the scene and stayed with Holmes (D) until emergency crews arrived. Duggar says Mr. Holmes was not seriously injured, but WXIN is reporting that a victim from another car involved was air-lifted to an Indianapolis hospital.

Witnesses say Holmes may have attempted to pass someone and hit an oncoming car head on.

The crash is still under investigation.