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Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is Social!

Guess who just got the social media marketing bug? Yes, the FCAC – Canada’s Financial Consumer Agency.

As soon as I heard the news I had to go check them out – and sure enough they are already actively engaging and sharing useful information through their social networks. And guess who was their very first Youtube Channel subscriber? Yes, yours truly :) .

As like any good social media campaign, the FCAC has been cooking up an an effective social media strategy as described by Ursula Menke, FCAC Commissioner:

“This is a great way to bring our resources to the consumer,” says FCAC Commissioner, Ursula Menke. “Social media allows us to reach and engage Canadians in a way we couldn’t before. It offers a world of endless possibilities through which we can better raise awareness of the importance of making sound financial decisions.”

Let’s take a moment to dissect this statement and lay out what is behind their strategy:

#1: Bring our resources to the consumer.

#2: Reach and engage Canadians.

#3: Better raise awareness of the importance of making sound financial decisions.

In a nutshell, this is an example of a perfect social media strategy vision that anyone could follow.

Like any organization, you can use the power of social media to share your resources, reach out to people, and raise awareness of the benefits of your products and/or services. How super cool is that :)

So, wondering where exactly the FCAC is hanging out?

So far, I found them on:

Plus, they also launched a new website which is more interactive, organized and user friendly.

I found this great interactive budget planner on their site, check it out here: http://www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/eng/resources/toolCalculator/budgeting/index-eng.asp.

What do you think of the FCACs social media action plan?

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9% of US Small Businesses Surveyed Said They Need a Social Media Expert

Table of contents for 35% of US Small Business Use Facebook To Attract New Customers

  1. 9% of US Small Businesses Surveyed Said They Need a Social Media Expert
  2. 35% of US Small Business Use Facebook To Attract New Customers

The small businesses surveyed expressed a need for social media expertise. Asked what new hire would most help their business, 9% said a social media expert, making it the second most popular choice after bookkeeper. – eMarketer

Wow, a social media expert is the second most popular new hire for US Small Businesses…

Earlier, I wrote an article titled “The Social Strategist Profile of 2011“. In this article, I explain some of the traits and skills that I feel a Social media expert should possess.

So where do businesses look for a “Social Media Expert”? Is there a special place where they can go to search out talent in their local area?

Or, is it just like any other job posting and they simply rely on local job boards and/or local recruiting agencies?

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35% of US Small Business Use Facebook To Attract New Customers

Table of contents for 35% of US Small Business Use Facebook To Attract New Customers

  1. 9% of US Small Businesses Surveyed Said They Need a Social Media Expert
  2. 35% of US Small Business Use Facebook To Attract New Customers

According to an article published by eMarketer on April 26, 2011 – 35% of US Small Business are using Facebook to attract new customers.

This leaves Facebook as the #1 social media tool in use by US small business.

Linked in comes in second with 15%, and Twitter 3rd with only 10%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, believe it or not but a whopping 56% of US small business are not engaging in Social Media use at all…

Read the full eMarketer article title, “Small Business Focus Social Efforts on Top Sites“.

I wonder why? Does this mean that they do not know how to implement a social media strategy? Perhaps, they don’t know where to start? Or, maybe they just don’t see an ROI?

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Five Steps To Hitting A Home Run On Facebook

People Spend 700 Billion Minutes Every Month on Facebook!

2011 is All About Social Media Execution.

Roles like “Social Media Manager” are amoung the fastest growing across every industry.

Build an audience that you trust, and that cares. Architect your entire customer experience.

Five Steps To Hitting a Home Run on Facebook:

Step #1: Target Your Audience

Step #2: Invest in Killer Content

Step #3: Be Authentic

Step #4: Don’t Do it Alone

Step #5: Have Fun & Keep Learning

Watch live streaming video from facebookeducation at livestream.com

 

How Can You Use Facebook To Work For You?

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Just Signed Up For Mashable Follow

You can now find me on Mashable Follow at http://mashable.com/follow/people/frances/ – Note: I scored the username “Frances”!! Woot, woot.

 

Check out this cool Mashable Follow Video Intro:

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