3 Tricks for Social Media Customer Service
Customer service is hard. Just walk down the hall to the CSR “wing” and listen in to a couple of calls throughout the day. Customer service on social media platforms, however, adds a whole new level of drama to the experience simply by taking place in a public forum. Social media marketing allows for a direct line of communication, hitherto unavailable to the common consumer, and it’s public- suggesting that the user holds great leverage over the actions of the brand. Sometimes these public posts are legitimate inquiries regarding products/services. Sometimes, however, users just want to stir the pot. Here are a couple of guidelines to follow when determining whether or not intervention is necessary.
Here are three tricks of the trade when managing customer service on social networks:
1) Don’t feed the trolls. This cannot be mentioned in community management/customer service class enough times. As University of Central Lancashire lecturer Claire Hardaker so eloquently points out at the bottom of this infographic, the only way to combat trolling is to ignore it.
2) Elongate the conversation. This simple practice will weed out the trolls after your first or second response (trolls are too busy for an actual conversation). A good way to do this is to institute a character limit on yourself in your responses. You won’t be able to provide the full detailed resolution in your first 100 characters, which will allow you to carry the conversation over multiple comments during the resolution process.
When responding to legitimate inquiries (read: not trolls), always include a question to finish your response. 90% of the time (strong estimate) you, or the customer, do not know what the inquiry actually is. Don’t assume that the customer is entirely familiar with your product or your brand. This simple practice will cover most bases when managing your page; extracting all details, determining validity of the claim, showing personal attention in a public forum, etc.
3) Assume a “first name basis” with everyone. Always use the inquirer’s first name in your response. You will surprise yourself at how disarming something this simple can be, and the respect given will show throughout the conversation. It is not recommended, however, to use your own first name when representing the brand publicly. Use initials publicly, and your first name when responding in private messages.
Incorporate these three tricks today, and your community will silently thank you!
Send to KindleThree Easy Ways To Improve Google Page Speed And User Experience
With such a large array of tactics and strategies thrown around the SEO realm, it can be hard to know where to start or what to do next. These can range anywhere from long term projects that stretch over the course of years to those “quick wins” or “low hanging fruit” as some people like to call them. Though it’s recommended that all of the above be accomplished over time for the best outcome, today I’ll be talking about 3 simple ways to get some quick wins by decreasing your page load time and improving your Google Page Speed score.
What is Google Page Speed and Why Does It Matter?
To put it simply, faster sites create a better experience for the user. This eventually leads to higher return traffic, lower bounce rates, longer page view times and (even if only on a subconscious level) a higher affection for your brand. In Google’s never-ending quest of making the Internet a better place with less spam and faster page load times, doing your part to contribute will also help your SEO efforts. More importantly, as mobile browsing continues to grow, page load times will continue to be even more important.
Getting Started With Google Page Speed Insights
Google Page Speed Insights is a tool that analyzes a specific page and then provides a score out of 100 that reflects your page’s load times. It then provides detailed recommendations on how to improve this score and gives examples of what elements of the page are creating the page load time bottlenecks and which elements are already optimized. Additionally, there are browser extensions available for Firefox and Chrome that allow you to analyze any page that you are viewing. After working with the Insights tools for a couple years now, I’ve realized that a vast majority of sites have very similar issues, all of which have fairly simple solutions.
Serve Scaled Images
This issue is most common on e-commerce sites with pages that include numerous thumbnail images for each product. Some content management systems (CMS) have options to automatically convert images to the correct size for these thumbnail images while others leave that up to the designer. The problem arises when the chore of resizing images is left up to the browser, which greatly increases page load times.
Let’s say we have a product category page that contains several pairs of jeans with a 250×250 pixel thumbnail for each. Once a user clicks on a product, they are taken to the specific product page that has a larger 750×750 pixel image for better viewing. The ideal situation would be to create multiple versions of the image in these two sizes and use them on the appropriate pages.
This may seem like a very tedious task but if this functionality is not already built into the CMS you use, there are plenty of free tools on all platforms that can resize multiple images at one time while also naming them accordingly. I personally use the Apple Automator to batch resize images because of its extensive customizability. If you’re on a Windows machine you can try ImageResizer and there also a variety of simple WebApps with similar functionality, though you have to upload the images first, which could take a while depending on the original sizes of the image files.
Minify JavaScript and CSS Files
Though this is a becoming more of a common process for developers and web designers, it’s still surprisingly prevalent. Anyone who writes JavaScript, CSS or even HTML code realizes the importance of highly organized code. The result is an abundance of returns, indents, and comments, however the downside to that is a much larger file size. Browsers do not read code like humans do, so many tools have been developed to eliminate all the excessive characters and provide an equally functional file but in a fraction of the size because it’s all on one line. What was originally:
function date()
{
var myArray = arrayfromargs(messagename,arguments);
dateArray[0] = myArray[1]; // month
dateArray[1] = myArray[2]; // day
dateArray[2] = myArray[3]; // year
dateStr = dateArray.join("-");
//post(dateStr);
}
Will end up looking like this:
function date(){var a=arrayfromargs(messagename,arguments);dateArray[0]=a[1];dateArray[1]=a[2];dateArray[2]=a[3];dateStr=dateArray.join("-")};
There are a wide variety of tools available to easily perform this minifying task but the most popular seems to be Google Closure Compiler Service for JavaScript and the CSSMinifier for CSS code.
Optimize/Compress Images
Very similar to serving up the correctly sized image to a browser, Page Speed can be improved even further if the images are correctly compressed. The phototography technology that is available today can create image files with kilobytes of excessive meta data and colors not needed for simple display through a browser. The correct forms of compression can greatly reduce file size without perceptibly reducing image quality.
Most image editing software these days have an option along the lines of “Save for Web & Devices” which will automatically compress the file appropriately. If you’re looking to optimize multiple images at once, there are several different options. For Mac users, I’ve found ImageOptim to be very simple and effective, while RIOT is highly recommended for Windows users.
For Next Time
Though this post was directed at several easy fixes for common page speed problems, there are numerous things we can do to improve even further. For my blog post next month, I’ll be diving even further into Google’s Page Speed and provide a few more advanced solutions. Stay tuned for that one!
Send to KindleHas Social Media Spoiled or Enhanced the Super Bowl Experience?
The Super Bowl is a huge event in America and has practically become a national holiday. The simple fact is that with only 2 out of 32 NFL teams participating in the actual game, over the top Super Bowl commercials have long been a focus for the majority of viewers, a fact that advertisers are well aware of. According to Nielsen, last year’s Super Bowl XLVI attracted 111.3 million viewers, making it the most watched U.S. telecast of all time and advertisers spent an average of $3.4 million for a 30 second spot.
I am personally a huge fan of the NFL and love watching the Super Bowl, even though my beloved Chicago Bears rarely make an appearance in the game (is it next year yet?). Like many members of the super bowl audience, I am most excited about the commercials. Yes, I fully admit that I’m one of “those people” who will actively “shush” those that attempt to hold a conversation when it’s time for a commercial break during the game.
So how has social media changed the experience of watching commercials during the game? First, let’s look at a few facts from Venables Bell & Partners:
- Americans are more likely to “Like” a brand on Facebook that advertised during the Super Bowl than the team that played in the game (30% vs 26%)
- 32% of people discuss the best ads the day after the game, which is the same percentage that discuss the best plays made during the game
- 56% plan to engage with some type of communication device during the game and 37% of that will be on Facebook
- More than a third of Americans will watch Super Bowl ads prior to the game in 2013
It’s that last bullet that rubs me the wrong way. I’m always quite excited to see the new commercials during the game and, in my humble opinion, the biggest part of that excitement comes from the surprise and shock value of some of the commercials. You know, that moment when everyone at your Super Bowl party turns to each other and exclaims “Oh no they DIDN’T…why yes, they DID!” In the past few years as more and more advertisers have released their commercials prior to the game, I’ve felt a bit like a deflated party balloon.
I truly understand the need advertisers feel to release their commercials early; as I stated earlier, more than a third of Americans will watch the ads prior to the game this year and what advertiser wants to miss out on that buzz? I firmly believe it’s possible to capitalize on that pre-game day audience buzz without completely ruining the experience on game day in one of two ways:
1. Release teasers early and air the full commercial on game day
I love the teasers and build up that Wonderful Pistachios has been posting in the lead up to their commercial “Get Crackin – Gangnam Stye” featuring PSY. The build up focuses on their Facebook Page and includes a chance for one lucky fan to win a year long lease of a Mercedes-Benz SLK by submitting their own Get Crackin – Gangnam Style All Star photo. The actual commercial featuring PSY will not air until February 3 during the game.
2. Invite your fans into the creative process (Crowd Sourcing)
It could be argued that Super Bowl XLVII is the Crowd Sourcing Super Bowl. Coca-Cola, Doritos, Pizza Hut and Budweiser (who just launched @Budweiser on Twitter this week – FINALLY) all have crowd sourced commercials planned. Not only that, but the introduction to the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime show will feature fan photos that are welcoming Beyonce to the stage, becoming the first ever crowd sourced Halftime feature.
I have to admit, the commercial I’m most looking forward to is the #SteerTheScript Twitter-sourced commercial by The Lincoln Motor Company. Lincoln partnered with Jimmy Fallon to bring 5 amazing road trips to life that were submitted through Twitter. Lincoln has also followed up with a lot of behind the scenes and “making of” content to preview the upcoming commercials. In fact, they had so much material submitted that they changed their ad buy (breaking up their 60 second spot into two 30 second spots) and will have a 90 second long form spot available after the game. Check out their “making of” video below:
If executed correctly, using social media and crowd sourcing will greatly enhance the experience of watching the Super Bowl. So grab the salsa and chips and have your mobile fully charged and ready to go!
Oh yeah, and #GoNiners!
Send to KindleMotivate and Develop Employees | Thought-leadership Through Roundtable Discussions
Developing and cross training employees is no easy challenge. I don’t need to sell you on the fact that there is a 
constant requirement to keep current with technology and tools so that we can continue to create the best in class solutions for our clients, no matter the industry.
The question may be how to add one more “to-do” item to the list and train everyone. While we have several tactics and approaches depending on subject matter and need, one of the most successful forums for ongoing learning is through less formal (but well planned) roundtable meetings. And, if you work in a virtual environment you may need to promote other opportunities for information sharing.
Individual education and development through industry news and articles, blogs, can be overwhelming. New knowledge may also include attending webinars and conferences. Access to information is not the issue and in nearly all cases, employees increase their individual knowledge through these participatory activities.
How do you take that new knowledge and apply it more widely throughout the organization? More importantly, how do you articulate the application of new information to your processes and best practices to be sure everyone is on the same page in the most efficient way possible?
Not every topic is going to turn into an operating procedure; and not every topic requires formal training. One key tactic to ongoing development and information sharing is to rely on what you already have. Who better to “teach” and to facilitate but the experts on staff? These efforts do not require extensive planning and formality, but a few good tips and some encouragement can create positive, memorable experiences to motivate and energize your organization.
Typically, our experts recognize the need for content and information and inherently know when there is a need to share the experience and more importantly newly discovered information with the rest of the organization; and do it in a timely and meaningful manner. While learning is the goal, this does not limit the round table discussion to just new information. We also like it when roundtable discussions are arranged to present a business issue, a challenge, and a question and to gather input and additional thought-leadership from colleagues.
We love 100% participation so while we encourage staff to facilitate these discussions we want to make it something they look forward to. That’s what works for us. It’s our story and we’re sticking to it, so here’s the round up on roundtable meetings the IP way!
Roundtable Meetings
- Typical roundtable meetings are 30 to 45-minute oral presentations and discussion with attendees seated, attending via conference call or web meeting.
- Roundtable presentations typically include 15 minutes of presentation, followed by 30 – 45 minutes of discussion and feedback.
- Roundtable presenters should prepare to facilitate and elicit input and participation from all attendees by preparing a targeted list of questions to pose to others in attendance in order to learn from and with those attending.
- Roundtable meetings are an ideal format for collaboration and discussion on a particular topic of interest and relevance to the business and/or industry, or to bring people up to speed on current events and activities; and to make decisions about actions that may be necessary based on the new learning.
- Depending on the topic, roundtable meetings may be scheduled for longer periods of time to cover information adequately. The key is to remain flexible and encourage discussion and dialogue with participants.
Planning Roundtable Meetings
- Begin planning the roundtable meeting as soon as possible after returning to the office from your conference or event and within 30 days of your return.
- Identify the topic(s) to be discussed.
- Decide on your audience.
- Articulate the objective of the meeting and be prepared to clearly state the desired outcome to participants.
- Coordinate calendars as necessary to avoid scheduling conflicts and to schedule your roundtable, including setting up on any online meeting tools such as GoToMeeting.com or Join.Me and reserving the appropriate conference room if space is required.
- Distribute the meeting notification with ample notice, registration detail and include the requirements of attendance (if mandatory or optional).
- Prepare visual aids (optional). Roundtable meetings do not require formal visual aids, however, they are a nice addition to convey new information and enhance learning, especially in our virtual environment.
- Your role as a facilitator of the roundtable discussion is an important responsibility. For that reason, you may want to consider assigning a scribe to take notes and a timekeeper to aid with keeping you posted on time consumption and to move the agenda forward.
- Regarding notes, successful roundtable meetings include these elements to have the information available to those who may have missed the meeting and to document action items or follow-on items that may have come up.
Conducting the Roundtable Discussion
While preparation is at the core of executing a successful roundtable meeting, you will also want to adequately prepare your participants.
Before moving directly to the content of the meeting, take a few moments to address your audience’s needs and to ask for their focused attention through a few simple steps.
- Review the agenda, the objective, time allotted and ask for participation.
- Put participants at ease by ensuring everyone can hear clearly and has access to any materials directly and through use of technology.
- Inform participants that while you have information to share, you will also be relying heavily on their participation to make the meeting a success.
After the Roundtable Meeting
Consider publishing meeting notes immediately after the meeting while information is fresh. Notes should recap the following elements at a minimum:
- Purpose and objective of the meeting
- Agenda
- Results
- Action items / next steps for decisions or follow-up that may be required.
Follow these steps and you are on your way to successful and memorable roundtable discussions and a highly evolved organization.
Send to KindleLink Building in 2013 and Beyond
We saw a revolutionary change in link building in 2012 because of one thing: Google’s Penguin Update. Penguin primarily targeted sites which displayed signs of spam and low quality links. A red flag raised was over-optimized anchor text distribution. (See my previous post for a further overview of Penguin.) A large number of sites and businesses saw online revenues drop due to the famous “un-natural link detection” warnings and from being dropped from search indexes. Sites and businesses were forced to re-evaluate their link building and search optimization strategies.
Moving forward in 2013 and beyond, we must shift our entire focus to a long-term link building strategy that will be immune to such updates. Quality must be weighted over quantity. Consider the following as you continue your link building efforts in 2013 and beyond.
1.) Remember Penguin
Penguin destroyed companies and sites. Not only were spam sites affected, but several well-known and reputable brands suffered from the implementation of Penguin. The primary flag that Penguin targeted was an over-abundance of optimized anchor text in backlinks. The majority of backlinks should not contain keyword-rich backlinks. Such a backlink profile is of course not natural. As I perform my link building duties for clients, I always take an extra second of consideration when it comes to the anchor text that a link should display. My recommendation would be to only use keyword-rich anchor text when it makes sense within the context. Otherwise, I stick to an anchor text that typically follows a “Company Name – Keyword” formatted link. Be sure to use a keyword that matches the context of the page and attempt to link back to the most relevant page on your own site.
2.) Start with Your Own Site
I once heard a former pro-basketball player that say “People should get in shape to play basketball, not use basketball to stay in shape.” Ever since I heard that quote, I’ve focused on making my body stronger through cardiovascular, weight-lifting, and stretching routines. By first developing my body, my performance on the courts improved vastly.
The same philosophy can be applied to link building and search optimization. Focus on your site first. Establish the keywords you want your site to rank for (see this article on keyword research), organize your site’s pages into themes (here’s a good article on silo structured content), find and repair any possible 404s on your site, link internally throughout your site where it makes sense, and ensure there are no broken links.
Focus on delivering a good, quality site so that visitors will come back often, and you’ll see your link building efforts return much better results.
3.) Link Audit and Reclamation
Once you have your site polished and ready to show off, examine your current backlinks. Refer to one of my previous posts in which I discussed several link building tools that can help you look at your own backlinks.
Here are some of the things to consider when evaluating your current backlink profile:
1.) Links from low quality and spam sites – Look to get these links removed. Contact the webmaster and see if they can remove the link. If that doesn’t work, Google released their disavow tool that can help.
2.) Monitor your overall anchor text distribution – Ensure that you have a good mix of anchor text throughout your links. You should have links that are your brand name, www.brandname.com, some generic phrases, and a few utilizing target keywords.
3.) Broken Links – Are any of your backlinks broken or resulting in a 404 on your site? If so, address this as soon as possible. Fix the 404 and implement a 301 redirect if necessary.
4.) Long Term Benefit
Your link building efforts should place quality as its top priority. Often as I research, I see several links that are image ads which can lead to great links. However, these can be very costly, and I think there are better alternatives.
What is a long term benefit you might ask? Look for links that will bring authoritative link value and traffic value. The very best sites will boost your rankings, ripple links to other sites that monitor those sites, and deliver a flow of targeted traffic. Use guest posting, contests, news, and press releases to acquire such links (refer to my previous post on long-term link building tactics for additional ideas). Build relationships with influential bloggers and writers in your industry. These are the links that are immune to updates like Penguin and Panda.
2012 made us re-think and re-evaluate our link building efforts. Google has made it extremely difficult for black-hat tactics to have any effect. Link building efforts should include those that produce long-term benefits. Although no one knows what Google may decide to do in the future with its search algorithm, we do know that links will always be important. With that in mind, consider the above and focus on links that will carry value for the long haul.
Send to KindleThree Steps to Valuate Your Social Audience
For most marketing directors, the ROI question as it relates to social media budgeting continues to loom as a conundrum. Here is an extremely simple way to place value on your social media users to better budget and plan.
Step One: Identify your conversion.
Are you looking for leads, sales, or walk-ins? All three are applicable when valuating your users. For leads, ensure that you can place a dollar amount on your average lead count during a month-long period. Your sales and walk-ins will already have an inherent dollar amount attached to them (hopefully).
Step Two: Create a social promotion.
The promotion should be able to capture all lines of your business. If that seems unreasonable, go ahead and plan multiple promotions. Ensure your promotion is on-par with promotions your have held in the past. You do not want to specialize this one at all.
Make sure you have tracking tools for the results. With lead generation, make sure you create a specialized landing page for click throughs from social media. Do not publicize this URL anywhere other than your social media platforms.
For sales, make sure you are utilizing a custom segment within your analytics service that will only report on traffic that comes from social media URLs. This, coupled with a discount code within your Ecommerce platform, will accurately depict direct sales from social users.
Tracking walk-ins is a bit more tricky, but leaning on the discount code in the form of a digital coupon will go far in tracking results.
Step Three: Assign the value.
The preferential treatment for assigning value is to base it on the engagement that occurs during the promotion online. For instance, for a Facebook-only promotion, you will want to assign a dollar value on each individual “Engaged User” (column L in Facebook Insights) during the promotion period. On Twitter, you will want to count mentions during the entire promotion period, and divide your total net sales from the promotion by that number. Example below:
- Promotion: 25% Off Entire Catalog for Facebook Fans!
- Promotion Period: 14 days
- Total Engaged Users during Promotion: 1500
- Net Sales from Promotion: $50,000
- Facebook User Valuation: $33.33 per Engaged User
Keep in mind, $33.33 per Engaged User would be absolutely incredible, so don’t be too disheartened when it turns out to be $1 or less. Remember, conversions are the last step in a well-built strategy. If you aren’t satisfied with the numbers, feel free to contact Intrapromote to build a strategy that will return some results.
Now you have a valuation for your Facebook fan base, and a good way to project future sales and determine ROI. You’re welcome.
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