10 Tips to a Smarter Social Media Strategy
In today’s business world, a social media presence is practically mandatory. While most businesses understand that using Facebook and Twitter can be a great marketing tactic, not many grasp its importance from a broader perspective. Steve Nicholls, author of Social Media in Business, believes every business needs a comprehensive social media strategy that “maximizes benefits and mitigates risks” by addressing what he calls the three “Cs”: Content, Context and Conditions. Nicholls serves up the following tips to help business leaders navigate social media policy and put the three “Cs” into action:
- Get with the program. Social media isn’t going away, Nicholls says. “Embrace it or be left behind.”
- Be the architect. Business leaders need to create a social media presence themselves, not just delegate the task to lower-level employees. Senior-level staff should build a model for the rest of staff to follow.
- Understand the culture. Making your company culture more open and transparent is a good idea if it fits the nature of your business. Social media should not be banned in the workplace, but rather encouraged to be used in a conducive and regulated manner.
- Create a common language. Tell your employees what you want to achieve and what each of their roles are in making that possible. Make sure everyone can participate by creating a common language and avoiding the use of jargon.
- Achieve your business goals. Develop your social media strategy to support your business ambitions. Your goals for social media should always be seen in this context.
- Understand all the benefits. You can use social media for more than just customer interaction. Use it for external and internal communication, collaboration and intelligence-sharing as well.
- Avoid the dangers. Although using social media comes with security risks and a plethora of PR and HR issues, don’t let fear inhibit progress. Develop a policy that mitigates the risks.
- Craft a strong policy. Establish a social media policy with the help of legal and social media experts. Clearly define what is and is not acceptable, and continuously update your policy as needed.
- Go step by step. Create a strategy that is adaptable, can be implemented one step at a time, and serves as a model for the organization.
- Take time. Don’t rush your social media project. Hastiness will likely bring more problems than benefits. Study your policy before and during its application to make sure it is successful.
Source: Steve Nicholls/Boulder County Business Report
Should You Skip Your Workout?
In the midst of cold and flu season, it’s likely you’ll catch something at some point that makes you feel less than motivated to exercise. While at times it’s best to press on with that yoga or spin class for a little natural immunity boost, some illnesses call for a timeout. Consult these workout dos and don’ts the next time you’re feeling under the weather:
DO work out if…
- You have a simple cold.
- You have symptoms originating above the neck, like a runny nose, sinus headache or scratchy throat.
- You don’t have a fever.
DON’T work out if…
- You have the flu.
- You have symptoms originating below the neck, like a heavy cough, body aches, chills or diarrhea.
- You have a fever of above 100.5 degrees.
- You were planning on attending a group exercise class where you could spread your germs.
- You have a bad virus, which can spread from your respiratory system to damage other muscles, including your heart.
If you have a chronic condition like heart disease or diabetes, always talk to your doctor before exercising. You may also need to ease back into your fitness routine after being ill, working at about half the intensity you normally would. If you’re generally healthy, lower your expectations while you’re sick and for a few days after—it’s fine to dial back your regimen while your body is trying to regain its strength. And if you’re ever unsure, always consult your physician.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Watt’s That?
Ever wonder how you are able to instantly access everything from old emails and Google searches to the latest Twitter and Facebook feeds? According to a report in The New York Times, Internet data centers keep their operations running using approximately 30 billion watts of electricity worldwide—the output equivalent of 30 nuclear power plants! Surprisingly, though, just 10 percent of that energy powers actual computations; the remainder keeps the servers up and running 24/7 so people can quickly access their information at anytime.
Buzz! Beep! Ring!
How much sleep are you getting nowadays? A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that roughly 41 million Americans—nearly a third of all working adults in the country—get six hours of sleep or less each night, thanks in part to the constant buzzing and beeping of our digital devices.
TXT U L8ER
Text messaging volume in the U.S. is down for the first time ever. A recent Chetan Sharma report found that both the number of SMS messages sent, as well as revenue from messaging, fell in the third quarter of 2012. The average user sent 678 messages per month in the third quarter, compared to 696 in the second quarter. It appears that services like Apple’s iMessage, social networks and other mobile tools and apps are becoming the primary facilitators of communication among younger users, sending traditional SMS into what could be a permanent decline. iBi
