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Remember our discussion of the when-not-if mentality in social media? In case you missed it, the article talked about adapting your social media strategy at a moment’s notice based on current trends and your audience’s preferences. In that spirit, I believe that a social media strategy is not a static document… it is a dynamic mindset. It’s not a plan that you dust off once a year and tweak slightly. Your online action plan should be flexible, adaptable and responsive.

To avoid getting stuck in a rut and to keep your mind thinking dynamically about your (or your brand’s) online presence, here are 4 steps to help you continually adapt your online strategy in 18 minutes.

1. Be a customer.
Select a company that you regularly do business with as a customer. Spend one minute on its website. Why? That’s how long the average person will stay on one website. After the one minute, take another minute and make some notes for yourself. What do you remember? What caught your eye? Was it easy to navigate? At the end of one minute, did you want to keep surfing or were you ready to leave?
Total time: 2 minutes

2. Be a social customer.
Decide which two social networks you, personally, are most active on (not for business purposes, these should be your personal profiles where you share information about you). Pick a company that you regularly do business with as a customer; this should be a different company than used in step one. Search for the company on the two social networks.  Spend one minute on each network and look at the search results. What do you find? Does the company have a profile? What are people saying about it? What kind of content is the company producing? Again, write notes on your observations for one minute.
Total time: 3 minutes

3. Be a searching customer.
Pick your favorite search engine. Type in the name of a third company that you do business with. Read the title and description of each of the top 10 search results. Take one minute and make notes on what these 10 search results tell you, as a customer, about the company.
Total time: 2 minutes

4. Be a mobile customer.
Take out the mobile device you use most often. Select yet another company that you frequently patronize and visit its website on your mobile device. Spend one minute browsing. Are you taken to a mobile site? Is the site designed responsively? Are you prompted to download an app? What kind of information is available? Does the site load quickly or is your minute spent waiting to view a single page? Again, write one minute worth of notes.
Total time: 2 minutes

Repeat these four steps, this time using four of your brand’s competitors.

Now review your notes. What did you see that wowed you? What made you cringe? Open your company’s website and social networking pages. How can you make your online presence better using your notes from this exercise? What would you, the customer, want to see changed?

Keeping up with changes in online communication is a daunting task. Remember: it’s a continual process. Try to go through this exercise often because constant monitoring of the landscape will help you stay relevant.

Did you find something unexpected in your 18 minute search of online communication? Share it with us below!

The decision to activate a Pinterest account is on the minds of many, especially in the business world. We already know that Pinterest has more than 12 million users and 1,000 visitors a minute. With statistics like these, it’s hard not to agree that businesses should get on Pinterest. Furthermore, there is a list of 13 verticals that can leverage a brand on Pinterest, and two of them are in the home and building industry: Interior design & Home improvement/DIY accessories. The next step then, is deciding how to best utilize Pinterest for your brand.

One important rule for businesses to remember is to embrace Pinterest etiquette: Sell your culture and people, not just your products. Getting creative on the virtual pinboard is the goal. You can share photos of your business art gallery, employee of the month, outside company events, conference photos, etc. Think beyond your product line and share the culture.

One important way for companies to let clients and prospects know about its presence on Pinterest is to add a Pinterest button to its websites. When you add a Pin It button, you encourage your customers and visitors to pin your products and photos.

Pinterest is way to connect with others on a more personal level, and brands can use this to their advantage. People share interests, passions, dreams and sense of humor in a more natural way on Pinterest than on other social media platforms. Therefore, a company can use Pinterest to gain insights about its target consumers by looking at the pinners who follow their brand, what these people are pinning and who else these people are following.

Pins and boards may be used as opportunities to converse with users on Pinterest, as welcoming and encouraging comments builds brand engagement.

Popular pins on Pinterest have three things going for them: likes, comments and repins. A way to get users to leave a comment is by asking a question or asking them to tell you what they think of your new products line, etc.

Brands can use keywords and hashtags in their pins to generate the likelihood of receiving more views. When creating a description for a new pin, you can optimize the pin by adding keywords that users may be more likely to use if they’re searching for specific content on Pinterest. Adding #home, #decorative, #remodel, #DIY, etc., would be smart for a home and building brand. Companies can also add specific website links into their descriptions to bring users to a certain page. Lastly, adding your website link on your Pinterest profile assures people will find you online.

An example of a home and building company active on Pinterest is Masonite Doors. Because the brand is a door manufacturer, boards are created that reflect the company culture. Boards include Famous Doors of the World, Quotes & Sayings, Cool Door Culture, Gateway to your Outdoor Retreat,  Craftsman, Contemporary and French Beauty.

Many of Facebook’s individual users have adopted the social network’s latest change: Timeline. Soon, every user will have the format incorporated into their page… including brands.

Just this week, Facebook shared many of the implications Timeline will have for brand pages, including a roll-out date of March 30.

Essentially, Facebook’s change makes the brand page “mission control” for the brand. From that page, administrators can publish content, interact with fans, and promote content to a wider audience on Facebook. The content strategy for all pages should quickly be readdressed as content is now the focus of Facebook ads. It’s more important than ever before for content to be well-planned and customer-focused.

The entire purpose of Timeline – according to Facebook executives speaking at a conference a few months ago – is to tell a story.

Following suit with that idea, Timelines for brands should tell your brand’s story. New features allow brands and individuals to create milestones and expand upon the history of said brand or consumer. Some effort should go into presenting your brand story in the most effective way. This is your chance to tell a story!

And what better way to tell a story than through the use of visuals? Anyone who’s incorporated Timeline knows how important pictures are to Facebook profiles now. Attractive photos will contribute to greater engagement and interest on your brand’s page.

Another big change Facebook’s Timeline for brand pages brings is a direct messaging feature. Until now, fans could only interact with a page in public (on the page’s wall), but now fans can send private messages to the page.

The use of apps is another major change for Facebook brand pages. Apps will be given more prominent placement along the top of the page, which should encourage brands to use and select relevant apps for that prime real estate. The new format also eliminates the possibility of fan-gating your page and using a welcome tab. All users will land on the Timeline by default… so brands can no longer rely on a well-designed welcome tab to encourage people to like and explore the page. A well designed cover photo and content strategy will take the place of these defunct tactics.

The last major change Timeline for brands brings to Facebook is the change in ads. New Facebook Ads will use content from a page as the content of the ad to encourage engagement with the page. They will also rely on a users’ friend activity to bring credibility to the post and brand.

Does your brand page need a makeover before March 30? My team and I would be happy to explore with you how to make the most of your brand’s Facebook page, addressing the new changes coming our way.