5 Social Media Goals For 2019

It’s 2019 and time for you to take a look at your social media marketing for the year ahead.

Here are 5 social media goals to keep you on the right track:

More Video

Twitter and Facebook reps have recommended that you focus more on video this year. They get far more engagement than normal posts. So start shooting small videos that you can package and post.

It’s Story Time

Focus more on your Facebook stories as those are now getting far more engagement than normal posts. We each have a story to tell. What is yours?

Become a Vlogger

It’s time to set that YouTube channel up and focus on becoming a vlogger. A vlogger is basically a blogger that uses video to tell their story. Whatever that story is I’m sure you have something to tell. When you get enough views you will eventually be able to monetize your channel and who knows you might just make a business out of it.

Cut out the negativity

Time and again people and brands have been caught out posting the wrong content. So start taking a long hard look at those posts you are about to post. Do you want to be known as a troll or as a thought leader? The choice is yours.

Plan ahead

If you are a community manager or running the social media accounts for your office it might be the time to look into a schedule for all those posts. So set up a simple schedule for each month of the year. Plan those campaigns well in advance and anticipate any problems. Will you be able to handle a social media crisis? If not now might be the time to learn how to deal with them so that when they hit you are prepared.

Here’s to your success in in social media in 2019.

Fred Felton | Twitter @fredfelton

Social Media Specialist and Trainer

Why your company needs a social media policy

You see people online every day, walking down the street, on public transport and yes even in the office.

Most of these people are checking their Twitter stream or updating Facebook or posting pictures on Instagram.

So just why does your company need a social media policy?  Social Media has taken the world by storm and just about everyone in your office is probably sending out a tweet as you are reading this article.

What’s in the tweet they sent out?  Do you know? Do you care? Some of them might be taking a picture of their friends in the office and perhaps a few business documents might be in the shot but who cares about that right?  Perhaps those documents have confidential details of a huge business deal between your company and another company.

Perhaps someone from another company sees that picture on Instagram and decides to offer the other company a better deal and just like that you lose $1 billion dollars.

What you see there is a worst case scenario and it has already happened to some companies.  How can your company protect itself?  This is why you need a simple social media policy drawn up. Each staff member should get a copy and read it and sign it when they join your company.

So what should your social media policy contain?  At the very least it should cover the basics like:

·         What can a staff member post on social media while they are at the office

·         What are staff members allowed to post and what are they not allowed to post

·         If a staff member uses the social media account of the company what are they allowed to post

·         What images are staff members allowed to put out there

·         What blog posts are staff members allowed to write

·         What can staff members post and what can’t they post in their profile

·         Remember that a staff member represents your company and the brand so remind them of that before they post on social media

·         Have a disclaimer that protects your company from what people post on your social media pages

For a more detailed social media policy do not hesitate to contact Falconscove to set up an appointment to discuss your needs.

Fred Felton - Falconscove

Email: falconscove@gmail.com

5 Social Media Strategy Tips For Your Company and Brand

Greetings Dear Readers

This week I am looking at Social Media Strategy.

Do you have a social media strategy for your company or brand?

Here are 5 tips to help with that:

Where do you want to be?

Think this through carefully.
Here are some places you can be:  Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn
The choice is yours.  Now perhaps you only want to be on one or perhaps you want a mix of
the social networks.

If you are a personal trainer you might like Twitter.
If you are a music band you might like Facebook and YouTube.
Do you have beautiful pictures to share?  Then perhaps it is Pinterest.
Are you more business inclined, then have a look at LinkedIn.

How much time do you have to do this?

If you are a one man band you might like Twitter with it's instantaneous impact.  You can keep
track of your tweets and look for opportunities in a fast, snappy way.

Who will do this for you?

Will you do it yourself?  Appoint someone to do it?  Hire an agency?
Perhaps you should have a social media manager or agency do your social media for you.
These are some of the decisions you have to take.

Think through what you post!

Avoid just posting without any strategy.  When you start out, first have a look at companies
that are doing it right.  What are they doing right?  How are they doing it?  What is working for them?
Learn from all of this when you start to post.

Listen and Reply.

One of the most important things to do is to listen to what your clients and prospective clients do and say.
What are they posting on your wall?  How are they commenting?
Most importantly remember to reply and remember to reply promptly.

These are just some tips to help you along the social media highway.

If you would like help with your social media strategy for your company or brand
email Falconscove on falconscove@gmail.com to find out more.


Yours in social

Fred Felton
Digital & Social Media Strategist
Falconscove
A Digital Media Agency
email: falconscove@gmail.com

5 Ways To Market Your Event Using Social Media During The Event

Greetings Dear Readers

This week I am giving you 5 ways to market your event using social media during the event.
I am just back from doing a writing workshop with Speaker and Publisher Robin Jackson and
I thought I would share some tips for you on how to use social media to market your event during it.

Sure you have done all the hard work to market it before the event.
During the event is another story.  If you do it right more people will want to come to it next time.

Here are 5 tips to help you get started.

1.  Check in using Foursquare


A great way to create awareness is to use Foursquare to check in to the venue and tell people
why you are there. Include a hashtag as well, we used #IPW.  Make sure your Foursquare
is linked to Twitter and Facebook and even your BBM so you can reach many more people with it.

2.  Use a hashtag and be consistent with it


During the event use the same hashtag.  Do not veer away and use other hashtags.  Decide
beforehand what your hashtag is and stick with it.

3.  Use pictures


People love visual images of events so do not be shy, take some pics of the venue, of the
speakers, of the guests, of what is happening and upload them to Twitter, Facebook, Flickr
and Instagram.

4.  Tell people what is going on


Now your Tweeps will love you for this, so try and Tweet now and again all the great
things you hear at the event and smart advice you hear.  Share it with your Tweeps
and with your friends on Facebook.

5.  Try a live blog


You can even get someone to blog live from the event and create even more awareness.
Use the blog Tumblr and if you are more hands on with a mobile use the app for tumblr
and blog from your mobile.

So there you have it.  5 ways to market your event during it.  Hope you use them in the future
and tell me what you experienced.

Do you have any other tips to market your event using social media?


Fly high, Fly free


Fred Felton
Social Media Engineer & Speaker & Trainer
Falconscove
A Digital Media Agency
'Social Media Is Our Biz'
email: falconscove@gmail.com

#SocialMedia Advice By Musicians For Musicians

Greetings Dear Readers

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing some musicians and I asked them how
they use social media to market their music.

Let's hear what they had to say.

Leee John


This musician was far ahead of others and in the 90s he already set up his
website.

Check it out at www.leeejohn.com

From there you can find his links on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace

He suggests you build up a huge database of leads and fans.
He sees Facebook as a way to interact with fans.
Twitter is something you check while you are walking on the beach.

The Village People


They use both Twitter and Facebook but use
Facebook more to interact with their fans.

I attended a concert they were at and noticed how live on stage they took a picture
of the audience and posted it directly to their Facebook page and announced to the
audience to check out their Facebook page.  A wonderful concept.

Take a look at what they do on their Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Official-Village-People/202364961024

The band also manages their Facebook page themself.

You have to be in the social media world or otherwise you are nowhere.

Nik Kershaw


He likes Twitter and sees it as a good tool.
Interact with him @NikKershaw on Twitter.

Rick Astley


Another Artist that uses Twitter.  You can find him on @rickastley
He also has a radio show and chats to interesting people on it.

Well hope you learnt some social media tips from the masters.

If you would like to read more about them and a review of the concert they were in
read all about it on Umhlanga Life.

http://umhlangalife.blogspot.com/2012/02/interviews-with-famous-musicians-and.html


Fly high, Fly free


Fred Felton
Social Media Strategist & Speaker
Falconscove
A Digital Media Agency
'Social Media Is Our Biz'
email: falconscove@gmail.com

email us to book Fred Felton for a talk or training workshop on Social Media

10 iPad Apps Worth Having

Greetings Readers

Welcome to 2012.  A New Year already can you believe it.  I wish you and yours
a very successful 2012.

To start off the New Year I thought I would show you some very interesting apps
that I have discovered with getting a new iPad for Xmas.
What an amazing device and the Apps from App Store are truly amazing.

Here are 10 to get you started.

1.  Twitter for iPad


A very impressive app for Twitter.  Works brilliantly and gives you the option to
RT and insert comments in them as well.  You can also upload pics and follow
your timeline in a beautiful display.  Very impressive.

2.  Ambient Soundscapes


One of my favourite apps at the moment.  You can choose between various
ambient sounds such as water, rain, beach, forest, thunder and more and listen
to it if you want to relax or do yoga or fall asleep.  Comes with a timer.
Great app.

3.  Adobe Reader


The PDF Reader from Adobe which lets you read pdf files on your iPad.
Perfect for all those PDF files you get.

4.  Skype for iPad


Skype comes to iPad and lets you do all you do on your computer on your iPad.
Take all your friends and business contacts with you on the go.

5.  PhotoCard Lite


A great app that lets you convert your images into wonderful photo cards
that you can send to all your contacts.

6.  WritersApp Lite


This one is for all the writer's out there.  A great app which lets you work on one
story at a time and helps you work on the synopsis, premise, plot, chapters, characters,
places, notes and so much more.  Perfect for scribes.

7.  Type on PDF 


A very interesting app which lets you insert writing or images onto a pdf on the go.
So if you get that email with a pdf where they ask you to fill in your info on the pdf
this app is for you.

8.  Archie


If you love Archie comics this app is for you,  full of wonderful issues like
Jughead, Archie and more.  Some are even free.  Wonderful design and read.

9.  Wallpapers HD


A wonderful app that lets you pimp your iPad.  Full of amazing high quality
images, updated all the time.  Some wonderful pics in this collection.
As one user commented you will probably have a new image on your iPad each week.

10.  Nightstand


A really interesting app which basically converts your iPad into a souped up
Display Clock with image and alarm and weather.   Quite amazing really
and has pictures that change all the time.

Well hope you enjoy all those Apps dear readers.

What are some of the Apps for the iPad that you love?


Fly high, Fly free


Fred Felton
Social Media Consultant & Keynote Speaker
Falcon's Cove
A Digital Media Agency
email: falconscove@gmail.com
cell: 076-977-5788

Email me to Book me for your next conference or for a social media workshop.

My new book 101 Tips For Twitter is out packed full of useful info for everything about Twitter.
You can buy it here on the blog.

What is a Tweetup?

Hello there readers, today I shall be concentrating on Tweetups and giving you some tips on them.
Last week I was involved in organising a Tweetup and while I was doing it I got a lot of enquiries about
Tweetups, what are they?  What's a Tweetup?  etc etc.

So here is some help for you who do not know what a Tweetup is.

What is a Tweetup?
A Tweetup is a meeting of people from Twitter who meet in a social gathering to meet the people
they Tweet to.  Sometimes it is just a social gathering and sometimes speakers are organised,
prizes are given and creative games are played.

How do you organize a Tweetup?
The easiest way is to use something like twtvite.com - www.twtvite.com
The interface is pretty easy and you can share it on many social networking sites.
Then get the word out early and share it with all your friends and the people you would like to see at the event.

Keep promoting the Tweetup?
Keep telling people in the area about it so if you are having it in Durban, use the hashtag
#DBNTweetup or #DurbanTweetup or #Durban so people can see it when they search for tweetups.
Have it at a central venue and choose a good time to meet.

Start early
Start promoting the Tweetup early so that you can get awareness of the event and tell people on Facebook and  other sites about it also.

At the Tweetup
Have a host or MC and their job is to make sure the Tweetup is setup, food and drinks are ready if necessary and the venue is ready.  The host should also greet the people as they enter and ensure that everyone has a good time.

There you go, that should help you on your way to starting your own Tweetup.
No matter where you are on this planet you can start a Tweetup.

So what are you waiting for?


Fly high, Fly free

Fred Felton
Speaker - Social Media Consultant
Falcon's Cove Consulting
email: falconscove@gmail.com
cell: 076-977-5788

call or email to book Fred for a talk or workshop on social media countrywide.

The Good side of Social Media

Greetings Readers this week I have an interesting blog entry on Social Media.
Enjoy.

This week has been an interesting one in the World.  In particular England.
We have seen how some people have managed to get together using social media sites
and messaging apps for the intention of causing a riot.

Not a very good use of social media.

However social media is just a implement and you can use it for good or for bad.
On the other side of the coin you have some wonderful Tweeps who have setup a twitter
account called @riotcleanup

This resulted in many people getting together to clean up the mess caused by the riots.

So do yourself a favour and use social media for good.  These people did.

Fly high, Fly free

Fred Felton
Falcon's Cove Consulting
'Social Media Is Our Business'
Speaker - Social Media Marketing & Training
email: falconscove@gmail.com
cell: 076-977-5788

Call or email to book Fred for a talk or social media seminar

Interview with Durban Entrepreneur Fiona Wainwright Publisher of Coffee News Bluff & Surrounds

Greetings Bloggers & Readers

Today we are starting a new section where we will be interviewing famous Business Personalities 

from all over.  Look out for some more in the next few months.

For our first one we will be interviewing Fiona Wainwright.

She is a Entrepreneur and Publisher of the Coffee News Bluff & Surrounds Publication.

We asked her 10 questions, let's see what she has to say.  

1.  Where were you born?

 I was born in Sunnyside, Pretoria and lived there for almost 8yrs before moving to sunny Durban and have been here ever since.

2.  What encouraged you to become an entrepreneur?

I was looking for a business that I would be good at, could work from home, set my own hours and still be able to go out and meet new people.  Networking is a big part of a successful business and working for myself allows me the freedom to do a lot of networking and enable me to grow my business successfully.

3.  Tell us about Coffee News?

Wow...... Coffee News has an amazing concept.  It is a free, weekly paper and is a franchise which started in Canada in 1988.  It very quickly spread to all over the world with it being published in 50 countries and in 7 different languages.  We distribute from restaurants, coffee shops, take aways and waiting areas of businesses.  It is the worlds largest restaurant publication.

 

It is printed on an A3 creamy yellow paper, is printed double sided in black only.  Coffee News is entertaining, with amazing facts, interesting trivia, comical stories, horoscopes, competitions and a special "What's Happening" column for local events..... something for everyone.

 

We also advertise solely one business per business category which means that competitors are locked out.

 

4.  Your advice to other entrepreneurs and salespeople in the world

It takes a lot of hard work to start your own business.  The trick is to persevere and stick with it, market yourself properly and widely.  Do not give up because at the end of the day you will reap the benefits of your hard work and make it all worthwhile.  

5.  What do you do for fun and to relax?

It's quite simple actually.  To relax I love going to the beach and watching the sea.  I like taking time out to go for a weekend away to a beach resort or somewhere close to the sea.  The sea is so mesmerizing and washes all ones troubles away.

 

For fun, I love to dance.  It helps to motivate the body and mind to carry on and it's good exercise to.

6. What happens in the day in the life of a publisher of Coffee News 

Each day is different but in a week, I go from putting an edition together, to meeting with prospective advertisers, to networking and compiling adverts, which plays a huge role in a successful Coffee News, as they have to be structured correctly for each business.  Delivering Coffee News to all the distribution outlets is a big part of the week too.  It is great to catch up with all the restaurant and coffee shop owners.  It is very important to have a good relationship with them.  You never know when they will through some business your way.  

7.  Are you a member of any networking groups?  If so which one's?

Yes, I belong to two different networking groups.  On a Tuesday I meet up with the members of our BNI Chapter (Business Networking International) for a breakfast networking meeting.  BNI is an international networking business which helps people grow their businesses through referrals.

I belong to another networking group which is called BBA ( Bluff Business Alliance).  There we also network and pass referrals.  We are also aimed at improving the Bluff, making our status known and helping out the charities on the Bluff.  At the same time we help each other grow their businesses.  With both groups, it is like having breakfast with your friends at the same time as giving each other business or referrals.

8. What makes a good advert?

A good advert is one that stands out and attracts the readers attention.  We do that by using eye catching graphics, a good catch phrase, a solution to their needs and if possible we offer a discount too.

9.  Do you also design adverts and business cards and if so what does that entail?

Yes, I design the adverts myself.  This is where my creative side comes into effect.  I just love being creative and in today's age of technology, it seems this is the way to do it.  It is the same for the business cards that I design as well.  It just gets the creative juices flowing.  The business cards are a side line that I provide which includes designing the business cards and having them printed all at one cost.  Of course, I put together a few drafts of both adverts and the business cards for the client to choose from and once I get the go ahead then I can proceed to complete the job.  It is all very exciting and rewarding.

10.  A little birdie told me you also do photography tell us about your love for photography, what pictures do you take?

Hahaha...... I wonder who told you that? Yes, I love photography.  It is absolutely exhilarating to see what you can capture in a single photo.  I have loved photography since my school days but never followed dream as the equipment at that time was too expensive and you needed your own to take courses in photography.  I have since been able to set myself up with a very good SLR digital camera.

My favorite topics to photograph are wildlife and still photographs.  I love the concepts you can come up with and the amazing colours one can achieve too.  I also enjoy photographing people as there are so many different expressions one can pick up and also so many different angles one can capture too.

Well that was a very interesting interview Readers.  What an inspiring lady.

Well if you need any advertising or business cards you sure know who to call.

Coffee News is also on Facebook so why not visit their Fan Page and Like It 

Just click on the link here -   Coffee News Bluff & Surrounds

Fly high, Fly free

Fred Felton

Falcon's Cove Consulting 

Keynote Speaker - IT Consultant - Biz Analyst

email: falconscove@gmail.com

cell: 076-977-5788

twitter: @fredfelton

email him for one of his Social Networking Seminars or Talks which he does countrywide 

5 Tips To Market Your Brand or Company

Greetings bloggers and readers.

Welcome to another entry in my blog.

Today I am discussing marketing your brand or company.  Ok so you have started that company or launched that brand.  What now?  How are you going to get that name out there?  Here are 5 tips to help you get started.

1.  Have a business card.
The first step is to print some business cards.  You should probably have the basics on it such as the logo of your company or brand.  The company name.  Your name and position in the company.  Your contact details.  Address, mobile number, twitter username, website, email address.  You could also add something that I saw @PlumberDurban from twitter do.  He has added his BBM pin onto his biz card.  Something new to try maybe.   Hand out those business cards at the networking meetings you go to.

2.  Have a online presence
This can include such things as a twitter page, a facebook page, a profile on linkedin.  Join the groups on linkedin and ask questions on them and respond to questions.

3.  Setup a website
You can even setup a basic website with just the major details of you business and contact details.  Perhaps add Google Places to it as well.

4.  Write a blog
You need to be active in the blogosphere and try to write a blog at least twice a week on useful topics.
Start interacting with other bloggers and building a presence in the cyberworld.

5.  Newsletters and Ads
You can even look at sending out weekly or montly email newsletters and taking out adverts in community newspapers.  Start advertising where your target market will be looking.

Well hope those tips help you out with your business.   Wish you all continued success.

Fly high, Fly free




Fred Felton
Motivational Speaker & Social Media Consultant & Biz Analyst
email: falconscove@gmail.com

email to book Fred for a motivational talk or Social Media talk.