At a very minimum set up Google alerts, but we recommend setting up additional social listening tools as well to be sure to get timely reporting. If you need some free or low-cost listening tools here’s a list of social media listening tools to get you started. Needless to say, you should have a corporate social media plan and everyone in the company should know what’s in it. Trying to smother a social media crisis is like gas on a fire. Collate all of the social media posts, the news stories and website traffic patterns. MORE >>

One of the primary selling points of social media is the concept of engaging a potential customer or partner in your product or service. 25 Ways to Engage a Potential Customer Using Social Media. This should be one of the first things you think about doing when contemplating using social media as a marketing tool. If you do not have a strategy in place to lead the charge into social media you will be at a lost when it becomes overwhelming. strategy allows you to measure success points in your social media journey. What is it? MORE >>

Over time I’ve found myself doing more and more foundational work for organizations looking to dip their toes into social media. One of the key elements of this work, in my opinion, is creating a social media policy that fits well with the organization’s goals, culture and risk tolerance. As it happens, lots of organizations publish their social media guidelines online, ready for you to review and use yourself. Here are 57 61 great social media policy templates and resources to use when building your own. Social Media Guidelines. MORE >>

But, as with most things in life, honesty is the the best policy when it comes to communicating with your online community. Let your community know that you are: 1) aware of the problem; and 2) working to resolve it. Who knows, by engaging your online community, they might suggest a solution that you hadn’t thought of. Humor People Social Media best practices cartoon comic community customer service social media strategyDear Brand Managers, Let’s face it…engaging online isn’t always easy. Sometimes, things go wrong. MORE >>

In 2010, Scott Monty, the head of social media for Ford Motor Company, had the amazing idea to launch their newly redesigned Ford Explorer exclusively via social media. However, with social networks combining over 1 billion users and Google’s quest for providing the most personalized search results, social media should be on the marketing plan of every business. To avoid this mishap, small business owners should only choose the social networks they have time to consistently update. social media Social Media Community MORE >>