Local Marketing Company Adds Staff, Announces Promotion

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Step Ahead, Inc., a local company that works with businesses to provide social media campaigns, traditional public relations and Internet marketing, is expanding with the hire of two staff members and the promotion of another. Melissa Di Maggio and Leslie Bogstad have been named account managers, and Laura Angermeier has been promoted to trainer/project manager.

Di Maggio and Bogstad will be overseeing client accounts for the company and serving as the primary client liaison. Di Maggio has worked extensively in traditional and online marketing in the hospitality and travel industries. Prior to joining Step Ahead, she was director of marketing for Charming Inns of Charleston for seven years. Bogstad brings a background in graphic design, strategic advertising and event planning. She previously owned Mostly Graphics, a design and promotional marketing company, where she developed and executed marketing campaigns for local Charleston organizations.

Angermeier, who started with the company two years ago, manages social media tools for Step Ahead clients, including Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, blogs, YouTube channels and more. By adding trainer to her title, she will now be responsible for keeping Step Ahead employees and clients up to date on the latest social media tools and trends, as well as training new employees on the company’s approach and processes.

Does your company have a policy on use of social media?

As we develop social media campaigns for our clients, we often ask them to encourage their employees to support the campaign by sharing it with their friends, adding comments and just generally getting involved.

But sometimes that brings up a hairy question: Do we want our employees on social media saying they work for us? What if Sally’s wild night out reflects badly on the company? What if she publicly says something negative about a client on Facebook or Twitter?

So we sometimes help companies draft an internal social media policy. But before I go into the meat of those policies, let me first and foremost say I am a big proponent of the more people participating in social media on your behalf, the better. I believe in openness in social media, and that means taking a risk sometimes that someone will do or say something negative. And believe me, they will! But to me, the positives of being on social media and the goodwill and customer service and awareness it fosters are way worth the couple of negatives.

Now, that being said, I still can’t convince some companies of my views, soooo … we help them craft a policy to help them feel more secure that they’re protected in the event that negative post happens.

What should you put in an employee social media policy?

What information shouldn’t an employee share on social media? Company financial data, trade information, internal documents?

Can your employees mention that they are employed by you? If they do mention that, do they need to share that account with you?

If they do mention an affiliation, provide some guidelines for good social media etiquette. They might include:

• Remember that whatever you do or say is in some way representing your company for good or bad.

• Never post any information about the company unless you have seen it released publicly by the PR/marketing department or on the company Twitter account or company blog.
  

• Post the following disclaimer: “The opinions listed here don’t reflect those of my employer.”

• Speak in first person to indicate you are speaking your opinions and not those of the company.

• Avoid insults or inappropriate language.

• Remember that everything you post is publicly indexed online; don’t post anything you wouldn’t want the world, including your boss, your clients and your mom, to see.

• Contribute intelligent, thoughtful material and be professional!

• Be authentic, transparent and truthful.

• Social media, unless it is furthering your work, should not interfere with your work time and should be done on personal time.

I think we can find a happy medium here to satisfy employers without majorly restricting employees, and then you can give your employees the chance to support the company’s social media efforts. And if they support you, by gosh, reward them!

http://www.charlestoncurrents.com/issue/10_issues/10.0225.htm

Discounts in 140 characters, max

Companies are offering exclusive deals on Twitter. Whom should you follow?

Sometimes it pays to be a follower.

Twitter and Facebook have been a marketing godsend for all kinds of companies, which increasingly are using social media to build loyalty with shoppers. Now, retailers have even begun to tout sales and exclusive discounts to customers who interact with them through social media. For example, Banana Republic recently offered shoppers an invitation to an exclusive spring preview event, as well as a printout coupon good for 30% off a purchase of $100 or more at the event.

Developing a social-media presence lets companies more effectively manage what customers are saying about their business online by developing a following, says Lyn Mettler, the founder of Step Ahead, amarketing firm in Mount Pleasant, S.C. “They might as well get in on the conversation and offer something to reward the loyal customers,” she says.

For the best freebies, hunt for businesses located in your area, as well as nearby locations of major chains. They have more need of brand recognition and customers than a big-name company, and so are more likely to offer exclusive discounts for followers, says Sara Dunham, a spokeswoman for Savings.com.

Finding deals is as simple as registering for the free networking sites and conducting a search for your favorite companies and brands. Many even have coupon-specific feeds or pages that put deals all in one place.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SmartSpending/blog/page.aspx?post=1651240

7 secrets for boosting your travel power through social media

Got a travel problem?

Just tweet about your troubles, and the airline, car rental company or hotel will fix it. At least that’s the conventional wisdom. And while it’s true that travel companies are spending a lot of time online listening to their customers, they’re not necessarily paying attention to all of us.

“Travel companies pick and choose who to respond to in social media,” says social media expert Ryan Goff of the advertising firm MGH, Inc. “You better believe that a Web celebrity with 100,000 Twitter followers is going to catch a company’s attention over the casual Tweeter with only 10 friends.”
Even online, some travelers are more equal than others. Question is, how to become a somebody?

You should care, because even today, as social networking applications like Twitter and Facebook have come of age, being online can be the most effective shortcut to getting great customer service.

I see it every day on Twitter, as customers with questions are sent to the front of the line (sometimes literally) because they had a respectable social-media profile. Online travel agencies such as Orbitz have an entire team of employees dedicated to monitoring online chatter and helping customers.

I asked several social media experts about how to boost your online profile. Here’s what they told me:

1. BE INTERESTING

Boring people don’t get a lot of followers. “Be engaging,” says Lyn Mettler, the founder of Step Ahead, Inc., which manages social media campaigns. “Don’t just talk, talk, talk about yourself all day long. Read what other people are posting and respond to them. Ask questions, answer questions. Truly interacting with people will help build your followers.”

2. GET A BLOG

One of the fastest ways to raise your online profile is to start blogging. “If you blog, that helps tremendously,” says Tim Massie, an adjunct professor of communication at Marist College. It helps if the subject matter is travel-related, but anyone with access to a credible blog is likely to come to the attention of a travel company faster than someone who doesn’t have one. Massie says being an active participant in online forums can help, too. “If you go the extra mile, posting photos, helping others understand the amenities of hotels, and providing insider information that a typical tourist would overlook, you will earn your reputation and be an influencer in the travel industry,” he says.

3. JOIN THE CONVERSATION

“Post and tweet frequently about your experiences,” says Rick Gardinier, the chief digital officer for the advertising agency Brunner. “This will increase your relevancy and authoritativeness which in turn will boost your following.” How often? I try to tweet and post a few times a day, but you should be able to keep a respectable profile by publishing something a few times a week.

4. OFFER GOOD INFORMATION

Building trust — and followers — takes time and work, according to experts. “Travelers can increase their social media influence by creating good content, consistently, for an extended amount of time,” says Chris Harrington, the technology director for the communications firm Luquire George Andrews. He says he’s likely to follow users who have positive things to say about the subject matter. “Negative comments can hurt the traveler’s social capital as much or more than the company in question,” he adds. That way, when you go negative — when something happens to you while you’re traveling that you need resolved — your followers will pay attention.

5. CHECK YOUR MOTIVES

It matters where you’re coming from, say the pros. “Motivation behind using social media extensively will drive the behavior of travelers,” says Philippe Duverger, an assistant professor of marketing at Towson University. For example, if people think you’re trying to sell something, they may be less likely to include you in the network. Also, if you’re branded a “complainer” then that can be a turn-off. Being in it for all the right reasons is one way of attracting lots of followers and building your online credibility.

6. SPEAK UP

The best way to get noticed by any company is to openly discuss your experiences. “If the company has an interest in social media as a marketing outlet, then they will be monitoring all conversation about them, both positive and negative,” says social media guru Dan Healy of Mason, Inc., in New Haven, Conn. Acknowledging an experience that you had on an airline, for example, on a public forum is important to the airline because it gives them insight about their customers, and the public’s opinion. Be sure to use proper shout-out etiquette by linking to the travel company’s blog (which is monitored by the company) or using their Twitter handle — (at)Jetblue or (at)Marriottintl — when you tweet about them.

7. MAKE A PERSONAL CONNECTION

Travelers tend to follow people they can relate to. “People trust contents from somebody they can identify with personally,” says Iis Tussyadiah, an assistant professor at Temple University’s school of tourism and hospitality management. Often, it’s as simple as posting a picture and a brief biography on your blog or Facebook profile. People are likely to read your tweets and posts when they feel they know you than when you’re a faceless, anonymous voice on the Internet.

Even if you only have a small number of followers, you can still make a difference. “The squeaky Twitterer still gets the grease,” says Dallas Lawrence, the chair of the digital and social media practice group at Levick Strategic Communications. “Like most travel related stories in the online space, companies have focused their efforts towards addressing critical commentary posted by dissatisfied customers who have posted damaging comment to the online space about a particular airline, hotel or travel provider.”

You’re probably wondering if these strategies can really work for you. They can. I’ve used them myself. (You can follow me on Twitter at elliottdotorg, Facebook, Google Buzz, or on my blog.

Along the way, I’ve made some terrific friends — people I’ve never actually met, but that’s beside the point — and had lots of interesting conversations.

Next time you have a travel problem, you’ll be glad you did.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-02-24/travel/orl-travel-troubleshooter-2-022310_1_social-media-online-travel-agencies-travel-companies/3

Step Ahead Inc. Staff Photos

Last week, before our staff meeting, we all met in Chapel St. Fountain Park for staff photos. The very talented Leslie Walker, of Leslie Walker Photography, took individual head shots and a group photo.

The weather was a bit chilly, but the sun was out, and it was a beautiful day to be outdoors. You may have noticed a color theme in our group photo. Three of us showed up in the same shade of purple, completely unplanned!

Discounts in 140-Characters, Max

Twitter and Facebook have been a marketing godsend for all kinds of companies, which increasingly are using the social media to build loyalty with shoppers. Now, retailers have even begun to tout sales and exclusive discounts to customers who interact with them through social media. For example, Banana Republic recently offered shoppers an invitation to an exclusive spring preview event, as well as a printout coupon good for 30% off a purchase of $100 or more at the event.

Developing a social media presence lets companies more effectively manage what customers are saying about their business online by developing a following, says Lyn Mettler, the founder of Step Ahead, a marketing firm in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. “They might as well get in on the conversation and offer something to reward the loyal customers,” she says.

For the best freebies, hunt for businesses located in your area as well as nearby locations of major chains. They have more need of brand recognition and customers than a big-name company, and so are more likely to offer exclusive discounts for followers, says Sara Dunham, a spokeswoman for Savings.com.

Finding deals is as simple as registering for the free networking sites and conducting a search for your favorite companies and brands. Many even have coupon-specific feeds or pages that put deals all in one place.

http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/deals/discounts-in-140-characters-max/

February Social Media Star: Chad Norman

The software world is known for being fast paced with companies popping up and dropping out every year, but Blackbaud, a software company working exclusively with non-profits has been around for 27 years, practically forever in tech years.

Chad Norman, the interactive communications manager at Blackbaud, has been a pioneer who’s extremely innovative in his use of social media to help keep his company connected, improve customer support and drive traffic.

We picked Chad as February’s social media star, because he has developed a mature social media program at Blackbaud that’s been incredibly successful and he’s constantly on the look-out for new tools and new ways to improve their program. Here’s what Chad had to say about social media:

What is your job/company/profession/title?
Currently, I’m the interactive communications manager at Blackbaud, the leading provider of technology for nonprofits.

What was the first social media technology you used?
OK, since I’m old, I can remember the BBS days, not to mention Classmates.com (boy, did they blow it!). In the modern era, probably MySpace and YouTube.

What is your favorite social media tool?
Twitter is by far my favorite social media platform, both from a professional and personal standpoint. Though SlideShare.net is a close second and is great for sharing knowledge and SEO. FourSquare is a great one that is up and coming.

How have you used social media for your business/company and how has it benefited?
Over the last two years, we’ve been using social media at Blackbaud to increase engagement, support customers, promote initiatives and thought leaders, and drive traffic to our various Web properties. We’ve definitely seen increased engagement and support – social media has allowed us to communicate in ways we never could before. We’ve probably seen the most benefits by using social media to promote and drive traffic. Our metrics are telling us that a double digit percentage of our traffic is arriving via social media, and that is a lot of growth for a B2B company like us.

How much time would you say you spend a day engaging social media?
Around one hour, and that includes everything like updating/tweeting, collecting metrics, reporting, and planning. Keep in mind that we have a mature program, and that early on more time was used. I always remind people that most of the time investment is up front (learning how the community works, developing a strategy, training staff, etc). Once it is integrated into your overall communications plan, you’ll find less and less time is required.

How do you incorporate it into your day so it’s not a time waster?
I do a couple things that help me save time on a daily basis. The first is to actually set aside time in the morning. 20 minutes on Monday to collect metrics, 10 minutes each day to write tweets, 30 minutes on Friday to recap the week, etc. Put those things on your actual calendar. Second, I try to use as many helpful tools as possible. Build a listening dashboard in iGoogle (rather than scouring the web manually), use Tweetdeck to manage your daily work flow (monitoring and responding), and roll out CoTweet to your staff (pre-write tweets, assign responses, etc).

What’s your best tip for using social media for business?
The best tip is to forget about the actual execution and focus on the bookends: Planning and Reporting. You must develop a strong strategic plan and stick to it. Your strategy will determine which tools to use, what to say and who should be saying it – not the other way around. On the back end, you need to collect metrics and actually analyze them. Don’t just count how many times you were retweeted – look at what was retweeted, and who passed it along. These collected metrics will also help you benchmark your efforts against other orgs and help you adjust your plan. Remember, you can’t just collect, you have to measure!

Is there a social media tool/technique that you think is underutilized that you would like people to know about?
Social media does wonders for search engine optimization, so I always tell clients to use anything that can help tell your story – because Google is listening. Do you give presentations? Load them on SlideShare.net. Do you take a lot of photos? Share them on Flickr. Does your audience hang on LinkedIn? Start a group to help them discuss things. All of those things will rank on page 1 for your business

Where can people find you online and via social media?
www.echohive.com/blog
www.gogreencharleston.org
www.twitter.com/chadnorman
www.facebook.com/chadnorman
www.slideshare.net/chadnorman

New Podcast – Social Media Means Business

Today, the first episode of the Social Media Means Business podcast was aired. Lyn’s guest on the inaugural show was Simon Ashton, our own social media and real time search guru. In this month’s episode Lyn and Simon talked about tips and advice for using social media tools to help your business be more successful.

The podcast will air the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 11 a.m.

Check it out here and let us know what you think.

Protecting Your Facebook Page: How to Handle Negative Comments

With a third of adults now posting on Facebook and Twitter, many businesses are seeing the importance of social media and creating business Facebook pages. These pages help to create awareness with customers and allow businesses to communicate daily with their fans, but once you have your page up and running, there are a few bumps you may hit in the Facebook road.

Some of these bumps include comments from unsatisfied customers and fans who spam your page with rude or irrelevant posts. You must address these issues quickly, and here are some tricks that I have found work well.

Some view unsatisfied customer comments as a hazard, but I view them as a blessing! I am so lucky to have that customer tell me directly about their experiences and allow me the opportunity to correct them, as opposed to just vent about it to their friends and family, and sometimes the entire Internet! If a company can fix the situation or sometimes just apologize, that customer is more likely to have a positive view of the company.

When you get that customer complaint post, here is what you should do:

1. Make sure to apologize and thank them for sharing the information in a timely manner. Ideally, you should be checking your Facebook page at least once a day. If the comment sits on your wall for a week with no response, it may irritate the customer even more and make your business look unprofessional to the other fans.

2. Attempt to fix the situation or explain what you are going to do to prevent that same situation from happening in the future. It may be wise to ask the customer to email the details of their experience. This just keeps more unflattering comments off your wall, and allows you to continue the conversation privately with the customer.

3. Continue to monitor the comment and keep in touch with the customer until they are satisfied with the situation.

When your Facebook page hits a certain number of fans, you will eventually start to attract some spammers. Some may just post links to their sites, and some may post rude or obscene comments. Either way, you must deal with these quickly.

1. If the post could be offensive to your other fans, immediately delete the post. You can do this by clicking the “delete” link under the comment.

2. If the post is not too offensive, you can try to reach out to the poster and remind them that other fans read the wall and to keep their comments PG rated, or whatever is acceptable for your page. It also helps to have a “policy” outlined on your page discussing what is considered unacceptable content and noting that if it is posted, it will be removed.

3. Some spammers will not stop. In this case, you should report them to Facebook. To report a spammer, just click on the “report” link under the comment. This is sometimes the only way to protect your page and your fans.

Do you have any tips for dealing with rude or obscene posts? Have you ever had to report anyone?

Avoid burnout by remembering to eat, sleep, stay social

Burnout has long been a problem for small-business owners who throw themselves into their companies. The struggling economy makes it worse.

The signs are clear: exhaustion; irritability; forgetfulness; a feeling of being overwhelmed. Worse, an owner doesn’t seem to find much joy in this business that he or she used to be excited about.

Paying attention to yourself and how you’re feeling can help stop burnout early.

“I feel myself getting tired on nights and weekends and that’s my cue to step back,” said Lyn Mettler, founder of Step Ahead Inc., a Charleston, S.C.-based firm that creates and manages social media publicity campaigns.

It’s also the point when Mettler starts to take better care of herself.

“If I burn out, we’re in real trouble.” Mettler said.

PHYSICAL CARE

Simona Paige, who co-owns Coral Gables-based Gourme Mist, maker of an organic food mister, said exercise, yoga and getting enough sleep have been keys to fighting burnout.

Sleep in particular is something that many entrepreneurs decide they can do without.

Paige warned: “If you don’t sleep well, you’re not going to be able to function well.”

Paige said she and her partner, Sherene Costanzo, started burning out about five months ago, when they were both traveling to trade shows while trying to run the company.

“We were being pulled in a million different directions,” Paige said.

Many owners might think, “I just don’t have time to worry about all that.” But burnout takes away some of the time and energy you need to run your company. Fighting it by taking care of yourself physically can restore that.

HAVE A GOOD TIME

It’s hard for many small-business owners to stop working, even for an hour or two. There’s always something that needs to be done, and it feels like it has to be done right now. But many of those who keep burnout at bay learn to schedule down time.

“I try to wind down at night, go in front of the TV for half an hour before I sleep, or read a book,” Paige said.

The problem for many owners, especially in this kind of economy or if the company is very young, is they find it hard to stop thinking about work. Never going off-duty mentally is a big burnout contributor.

One answer is to be sure you schedule distractions and make sure you maintain a social life.

Owners with partners can find it easier to avoid burnout, simply because there’s someone to share the burden.

“We encourage each other and support each other and work as a team,” Paige said.

For sole proprietors, it means making an effort to get some support. Networking groups are an ideal way to quickly build a support system.

http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/1416528.html

Next Page »