Not For Squares » blogging

20 Top Tips On Social Media

Macleod — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:19:45 +0000

A friend of Coulson Macleod’s Carolyn Morgan, who is an online marketing guru working with media brands, wrote this piece and I thought it was particularly relevant to us. We have, after all, built our typographic art business using social media. And for anyone else starting out with a limited budget (or, like us, no budget at all) for advertising, then these 20 tips could be the make or break of your future business.

Following an online marketing conference organised by @ebizclub in Nottingham, Carolyn was so impressed with the speakers that she summarised her top 20 takeaways from the day below; find more snippets on #omce2011 or follow these speakers on Twitter…

(We’ve added bits in and put them in italics.)

1. Stay In The Kitchen (@grahamjones GJ)

Human beings like to socialise above all else. At parties they stay in the kitchen as it feels like the place to be. Online social networks are like the kitchen; it’s hard to tempt them from there to the lounge where your website is. So get chatting to your customers where they want to be.

2. Mavens Make Most Profit (GJ)

Companies who use many social channels and update them frequently (ideally daily!) generate more revenue. Just like to add here that we at Coulson Macleod HQ are on the case with this one. We have a Facebook page, we’re on Twitter (@CoulsonMacleod), Flickr, Linkedin, and run this blog. One Brownie point to us!

3. Daily Blogs Generate Most Leads (GJ)

Small businesses updating blogs and social media daily get the lowest cost per new lead.

4. Social Media = Digital Dialogue (@mediasnackers DK)

Focus on conversations not marketing, and use to build relationships. Give your brand a human face; you’re selling to people, not companies. We spend all day chatting, about quite random things and not about art and culture! We’d love it if you want to chat to us too.

5. Talk About Process Not Product (DK)

People are more interested in how you did it rather than what you did. Well, I guess we earn another Brownie point, as how we’re doing it is what this blog is all about, the genesis of an art business — highs and lows!

6. Measure Outcomes Not Output (DK)

Don’t obsess about what and how often you publish on social media, work out what difference it makes.

7. Play First (DK)

The best way to understand each social media channel is to experiment with it before jumping in. Think about each channel as a room full of real people.

8. Be Engaging Rather Than Set Out To Build Engagement (DK)

Share interesting content, paraphrase and add value; get attention by being useful and giving people something to talk about rather than trying to sell. Hello! We’re sharing content right here. Pat on the back to us.

9. Mistakes Are Public, But Solving Them Creates Advocates(@andrewgrill AG)

Social media means unhappy customers can share problems, but if you admit them and offer a solution they will tell more people. Not had too much experience of this

10. Mobile Is VERY Personal (AG)

People don’t share their phone, and find ads highly intrusive. You’ve been warned!

11. Mobiles Capture The Moment (AG)

Mobile devices are there at the moment of creative impulse. Social media and mobile can create a toxic mix as instant negative feedback, but can capture positive thoughts too.

12. Watch The Geolocation Services (AG)

Slow take-up of foursquare and Facebook places as yet, but worth monitoring as provide lots of data.

13. Peer Advocacy Is Powerful (AG)

Consumers are placing more weight on recommendations from people online even if they have never met.

14. Content Quality Will Count For More (@ianlockwood IL)

Google updates mean poor quality or copied content will be penalised and links from article sites less valuable, so creating original quality content will be key.

15. Paid Links Risk Penalties (IL)

Google can’t spot paid links, but will penalise offending sites so it’s a risky strategy.

16. Social Influences Search Ranking (IL)

Google will start to measure amount of sharing and authority of retweets for your content. So quality, fresh content shared by others will help search results. So please retweet this please!

17. Internet Now Is Your Business (GJ)

What you do online is central to marketing your business; all other activity has to fit in to this. Hear hear!

18. Tailor Message To Platform/ Audience

Adopt a different tone or style for Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter. Think we’re doing that. Are we?

19. Your Brochure Site Is The End Of The Conversation (GJ)

Your own website won’t generate leads; they come from social spaces, but it helps with conversion as place to check credibility: are you a real business.

20. Under 25s Blur Work And Personal Life (GJ)

See no barrier between personal social network and work persona; it’s just the older generation who like to have a division. On Facebook you can have a business page and a private personal profile. Well we’re much older than 25 and we see no barrier. Yeah! We’re down with the kids!

If this is useful to you too, do follow Carolyn on Twitter (@carolynrmorgan ) or go to her website Penmaen Media and mention you found her via Coulson Macleod. She’ll be chuffed!

We Love Blogs: Lark & Linen

Macleod — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:53:18 +0000

Admittedly, we’re a bit biased on this one as Lark & Linen won Design Refuge’s October Challenge. This means Lark & Linen get to choose a Coulson Macleod typographic print of their choice.

However, there is a good reason Lark & Linen received so many votes (181 out of 813) in the Challenge, because it’s a beautiful blog, run by Jacquelyn Clark, a Toronto-based interior designer. Her blog is a real joy to read. And the photos are heavenly.

Jacquelyn says she is passionate about uncomplicated, well thought-out, livable, usable design. Snap. She has a door crush. Snap. She likes all things neutral. Snap.

In particular we love Jacquelyn’s “Scenes from my weekend” with her wonderful photo montages.

We Love Blogs: Unhappy Hipsters

Macleod — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 10:11:47 +0000

Certainly not a new blog, but one of Coulson Macleod’s long-time favourites and guaranteed to make you chuckle. So a good one for a Friday. If you’ve not seen it, then allow me to introduce Unhappy Hipsters (It’s lonely in the modern world)…

And the fowl kettle cover contemplated suicide—Thursdays as usual, basically.

The neighbors never did come around to their “exaggerated portal” concept for the back door.

Boning up on indie rock history before her afternoon quiz. Oh, the perils of homeschooling.

Their cultural ethos dictated that they puree homemade baby food; their aesthetic dictated storing the jars on an overly self-aware backlit shelf. Either way, little Moses was amused.

We Love Blogs: Paris Vs New York

Macleod — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 10:56:53 +0000

Coulson Macleod spends a lot of time browsing blogdom. We love blogdom. Our favourite crush is Paris vs New York…

Win A Coulson Macleod Print On Design Refuge

Macleod — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:24:11 +0000

We’ve just been approached by Design Refuge to see if we’d be interested in giving one of our typographic prints as a first prize in their competition. Of course we’re interested!

This is a huge honour. Design Refuge is the largest meeting place online for interior design bloggers. Their members comprise the very best bloggers in the design world. The superstars of design blogdom. Our heros. Members include {this is glamourous}, coco&kelley, Bright.Bazaar, Lobster and Swan, Made by Girl, Nick Olsen, and sfgirlbybay.

To win a Coulson Macleod print, Design Refuge members have been given the challenge to describe their style aesthetic.

Members of Design Refuge come from all over the world including Greece, Norway, USA, Canada, Russia, Sweden, UK, Australia, Montenegro, Finland, Serbia, Belgium, Netherlands, Malaysia, France, Thailand, Ireland, Denmark, Israel, and Spain.

We’ll let you know who wins and what typographic print they choose.

Coulson Macleod’s Friend Wins 2010 Bloggies

Macleod — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:08:20 +0000

We mentioned awhile back that a friend of Coulson Macleod had been nominated in the 2010 Bloggies.

We can proudly announce that 3limes has won! 3limes won in the Best Latin American category.

Well done Samantha, you deserve it as your blog makes for a brilliant read. Next year fingers crossed she’ll win the Best African Weblog as Samantha now lives in Uganda (she used to live in Trinidad). If you have a spare five minutes do read her blog, a fascinating insight into living in the more exotic parts of the world.

Technorati

Macleod — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:22:03 +0000

Technorati needs to verify that Coulson Macleod is the author of this blog by looking for a unique code, which I have to publish.

NF3WFDHSPV3V

Once the code is published, Technorati can verify that Not For Squares is the Coulson Macleod blog.

Sorry, very boring I know.