Social Networking - Frances Palaschuk

Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is Social!

May 25, 2011 By Frances Palaschuk Leave a Comment

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:

Twitter – @FCACan – http://twitter.com/#!/FCACan
Youtube – http://www.youtube.com/fcacan

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?

Filed Under: eMarketing, Implementation, Marketing Review, Social Media, Social Media Marketing Tagged With: Social Media, Social Networking

Personal Brand or Not – Who to Hire for a Social Media Strategist Role in 2011?

January 5, 2011 By Frances Palaschuk Leave a Comment

Does it matter if the person you hire to run your social media strategy development and implementation has been able to successfully build their own personal brand or not?

Would it bring added value to your company if the successful candidate has been able to effectively build a social following by creating and sharing content that is relevant to social media strategy development?

What if that person has proven that they have a keen sense of how to actually be social and engage effectively with the right audience?

Companies will need to hire people with very specialized skills. Someone who is on the ball and able to identify the next big digital media trend. Then, quickly determine the best approach for your company to implement these new strategies into the current action plan. The key is for you to execute “goal oriented” tactics that will deliver cutting edge services to your customers before your competition.

Some of the specialized skills a social media strategist will have to be/become educated in include:

Web Analytics
- Web Analytics 2.0 Style (Highly recommend knowledge source is the Web Analytics 2.0 book – Written by Avinash Kaushik – @avinash – your should follow him!)
Driving Customer Engagement Online - meaning how to respond & create community with your customers
Search engine optimization (SEO) techniques
- Follow Google Webmaster Tools Youtube Channel and Matt Cutts via twitter @mattcutts (amazing info straight form the horses mouth!)
How to Create DUMB Goals: Doable. Understandable. Manageable. Beneficial.
Writing effective web content
Social bookmarking strategies
The importance of RSS – everywhere
Video marketing techniques
Blog & Website user experience optimization

I am not sure whether this list seems long or shot to you, however it’s just a very basic starting point from my point of view. There are so many niche area’s of specialization which make it very difficult to pinpoint exactly what a social media strategists role looks like. Perhaps, at your company you require other key skills?

Whatever your specific social media role may look like – personal brand or not? Experience or not? Degree or not? Track record or not? I have compiled a list of articles that talk about personal brand and the social media strategist role.

“Dealing With Employees Who Are Social Media Celebrities | Social Media Examiner”

“Canadians look to re-invent careers as workplace change gathers pace, Kelly Global Workforce Index™ finds”

“Personal Brand: Good or Bad for Your Company?”

“How To Be An Effective Corporate Ambassador”

“Why Social Media Is Optimizing The Personal and Corporate Brand”

“Personal vs Career Brands, it’s all in the Mindset”

How IBM Uses B2B Social Media

“Social media celebrities can boost or bust corporate branding efforts”

“The corporate brand is cramping my personal brand!”

“A Corporate Brand Won’t Shield Your Personal Brand Anymore”

“Why Personal Brand is Essential To Corporate Marketing Success”

What’s your opinion? What skills do you think are in demand from a social media marketing standpoint?

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/6213/Personal-Brand-Good-or-Bad-for-Your-Company.aspx

Filed Under: eMarketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Strategies Tagged With: outsource product launch, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Social Networking

Facebook Pages, Ooh La, La…

March 11, 2009 By Frances Palaschuk Leave a Comment

So, you must have heard that Facebook is undergoing some changes, yet again. But please don’t despair, I promise these enhancements look to be great. Especially from a business Facebooker standpoint…

I was in the midst of creating a new Facebook Page this week for one of my dear clients and boy did I pick the right time to hit the books! Studying that is! Yes, studying Facebook.

In my business it’s hard but imperative to keep up to date on changes, enhancements, improvements, widgets, gidgets, and gadgets. I swear, every little break I get in between projects I spend in my feedreader (reading over 400 new articles a day or at least the headlines, he, he…) By the way, I share all the stuff that is the most Impactful from an online marketing perspective. You can grab my Google Reader Shared Items Feed and save yourself a whole whack of time trying to find the best reads.

So, what makes me go Ooh, la, la over the new Facebook Pages? Here it is in a nutshell – and keep in mind Facebook’s Mission: To Make the World More Open and Connected…

In case you were wondering a Facebook Page as defined by Facebook: is a customizable presence for an organization, product, or public personality to join the conversation with Facebook users. the Page focuses on the stream of content posted by the Page administrator (and it’s FREE, yes it is FREE to create your own Facebook Page).

(These highlights are complements of Facebook)

Facebook is unifying and simplifying the way people interact on the site by making Facebook Pages similar to user profiles.
By leveraging the real connections between friends on Facebook, a Page lets Fans become brand advocates. Posts by the page will start to appear in News Feed, giving Pages a stronger voice to reach their Fans…
In addition, pages now have the flexibility of multiple customizable tabs previously exclusive to user profiles.

Here are the things in my own words that I am excited about. This is an actual message I sent to my client to get the ball rolling on this new Page:

Now the pages will look more like a regular profile and have news feed updates, etc… I have downloaded the new Facebook Pages Primer and am taking lots of notes. The key is to keep the page content updated regularly. We can post news, events, photo’s, video, etc and it will now show up in the fans news feeds attracting viral attention from their friends, etc… So basically, any news, updates, sales, new products, etc we can promote on the page. Also, I can create a badge of the page to promote on the site and blog.

Here are a few question I have in regards to getting this new page published:

* What graphic/logo do you want to use as the main photo (note, this will show up with every update within the fans main Facebook news feed so it should be something very attractive.
* We will have a choice of which tab (wall, info, discussion, photos, video, boxes) that you want as the main “landing page” for new potential fans to see as they first arrive.
* The Wall tab will be where all the main up to date information is posted. It’s like the main news feed. If you want to post content that does not go into the news stream (that shows up on all fans news stream walls) we will post it on one of the other tabs and choose – do not publish.
* The page will be able to send a status update – just like a users profile. And that update will show up in the fans news stream as well.
* Each tab will have it’s own unique URL for off-site promotion (how cool!).
* And, the best feature is the “Additional Insights” tool. This tool is free and is like an analytics for the fans “engagement” tracking. You will be able to view how many fans comment on your posts, how many facebook users start and stop viewing your posts in news feeds, etc…

So, just so you know the Facebook Pages “news feeds” are not yet showing up in the users stream but they say to expect it any day now.

We will launch the new page just in time for all the hoopla!

So don’t wait, start browsing around other Facebook Pages. Take some notes on what looks good, what looks bad, what is working and what doesn’t… Good luck, and please share your page with us below in the comments section!

Note, Facebook graphic is compliments of Iconspedia – thank you!

Technorati Tags: facebook, facebookpages, facebookmarketing, facebookvirtalmarketing

Filed Under: Virtual Assistance Tagged With: eMarketing, Facebook, facebook pages, Internet Marketing, Online Collaboration, Social Media, Social Networking

Social Media For Business; An Ottawa Network Roundtable Discussion

June 12, 2008 By Frances Palaschuk 1 Comment

Last night, I attended a Social Media Roundtable discussion that was put on by a local networking group called “The Ottawa Network“.

The meeting was held at a funky new spot called The Code Factory. I arrived really early so I took the opportunity to go upstairs at 246 Queen, Ottawa street to check this facility. I was met by the owner, Ian, who gave me a tour. This space is amazing guys. It’s designed for those who work at home, and don’t get out much, like me! They have boardrooms, and a large workspace for personal use. There is a sweet cappuccino machine there to. All in all, it is a fun, hip, funky space perfect to break away and get out.

It was strange for me, a virtual eMarketing specialist, to be in a “real” setting talking about the “virtual” world in which I live most of my life, lol.

I am really surprised by the low percentages of people in business who actually implement social media strategies in their business plan development. Folks, did you know that it’s 2008, almost 2010? Think about it for a second here, 2010.

Doesn’t that sound futuristic? It sure does to me.

It’s time to become social folks, there is no excuse anymore, and you don’t even have to look good to do it.

Here’s how to get started:

Sign up for a Facebook account. And don’t swamp it up with all those silly applications – if you use it for business then use the tools like “my box” so you can advertise your own stuff. On my account I added my “Ultimate Blog Planner” as a free download.
Create a niche Facebook Group (and don’t whatever you do, create a dumb group) it must be of value
Setup a WordPress.org site – WordPress.com just doesn’t cut it for your business blogging. In fact, you are not suppose to advertise business at WordPress.com. WordPress is a content magament system that can power your entire website, it’s not just for blogs guys!
Take time to explore LinkedIn, Ryze, Ning, Twitter & Twhirl, and the other popular social networks. It will do you no good and waste your time if you just join without a goal or plan. Find out where the conversation that makes sense for you business is actually happening and spend your valuable time there.
Start hosting some teleseminars and get people excited about your business and services.
Create a video about yourself, your services, and your business. Even with your webcam you can produce some tutorials and how to’s.

Whatever you decide to do is up to you but just start doing it before 2010 hits.

Filed Under: Blogging, Marketing, Networking, Resources, Social Media Tagged With: Social Media, Social Networking, Twhirl, Twitter

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